LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON,   N.  J. 

Presented  by 

The.  \\f\<kov^  of  &eorp"€.T3Mg'c?\n,     ^(i 

BR    125    .W334 

Watkinson,  W.  L.  1838-1925 
The  duty  of  imperial 
thinking 


(i 


^ 


THE   DUTY   OF 
IMPERIAL    THINKING 


The  Duty  of  Imperial  Thinking 

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The  Duty  of  Imperial 


Thinking     /^ 


AND    OTHER   CHAPTERS    ON^'^''^' 
THEMES    WORTH    WHILE 


OCT  121923 


// 


WILLIAM  L.  WATKINSON,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

AUTHOR    OF    "the    BLIND    SPOt,"     "THE  BANE    AND    THE    ANTIDOTE," 
ETC.,    ETC. 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming    H.    Revell    Company 

London       and       Edinburgh 


SECOND  EDITION 

Copyright,    1906,  by 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York  :  11; 8  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago  :  80  Wabash  Avenue 
Toronto  :  27  Richmond  St.,W. 
London  :  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh  :    100  Princes  Strest 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I.  On  Thinking  Imperially    . 

II.  The  Ashes  of  Roses   . 

III.  Fascination  of  Difficulty 

IV.  The  Poles  of  the  Moral  World 
V.  The  Sorrows  of  Superiority     , 

VI.  The  Divine  Source  of  Redemption 

VII.  Put  Yourself  in  His  Place 

VIII.  The  Charmed  Life  of  the  Frail 

IX.  The  Dilemmas  of  Duty 

X.  The  Tyranny  of  Time 

XI.  Subconsciousness 

XII.  The  Divine  Protestation 

XIII.  Specious  Sin  .... 

XIV.  The  Forlorn  Rescue  . 
XV.  Secular  Weapons  in  the  Spiritual  War 

XVI.  The  Unnaturalness  of  Moral  Surrender 

XVII.  The  City  :  its  Sin  and  Saviour 

XVIII.  The  Moral  of  the  Empty  Grave     . 

XIX.  Progressive  Revelation      .... 

5 


page 
9 
14 
17 
20 
24 
27 
31 
35 
39 
43 
47 
51 
56 
61 

65 
70 
75 
81 
86 


6  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XX.  Faddish  in  Faith  and  Character      .        .  go 

XXI.  Defence  and  Defiance         ....  94 

XXII.     Ploughing  the  Sands 99 

XXIII.  Elevation  and  Vision 104 

XXIV.  Elevation  and  Strength      ....  109 
XXV.     Elevation  and  Safety 114 

XXVI.     Elevation  and  Peace 118 

XXVII.     Deferred  Blessing 123 

XXVIII.  The  Fatuity  of  Religious  Indifference  .  129 

XXIX.  The  Sleeping  Sickness           .        .        .         .135 

XXX.     The  Efficacy  of  Joy 141 

XXXI.     A  Human  Document 147 

XXXII.  The  Discipline  of  the  Disagreeable          .  152 

XXXIII.  Humility 157 

XXXIV.  Differentiations  in  Excellence          .        .  163 
XXXV.     Truth 169 

XXXVI.     Indirection i74 

XXXVII.  What  we  May  Do  towards  our  Salvation  181 

XXXVIII.     The  Devil's  Riddle 188 

XXXIX.  The  Grand  Goal  and  the  Lowly  Path    .  195 

XL.     Passive  Faith 202 

XLI.     Faith  and  Morals 206 

XLII.  Reality  and  Range  in  Christian  Faith    .  210 

XLIII.  The  Condition  of  Righteousness        .         .  215 

XLIV.  Masked     Perils    of     Spiritual     Life    and 

Fellowship 220 


CONTENTS  7 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XLV.  The  Transformations  of  Grace           .        .  225 

XLVI.  The  Graciousness  of  the  Law    .        .        .229 

XLVII.  Vicarious  Faith 234 

XLVIII.  The  Grandeur  and  Graciousness  of  God  238 

XLIX.  Spasmodic  Piety 243 

L.  The  Choir  Invisible  and  Their  Music       .  249 

LI.  The  Mercy  of  Mystery        ....  254 

LH.  The  Hour,  and  the  Divine  Deliverer       .  259 

Lin.  The  Implied  Promise  of  Nature  and  Life  264 


ON  THINKING  IMPERIALLY 

For  Thou,  Lord,  hast  made  me  glad  through  Thy  work;  I 
ztrill  triumph  in  the  works  of  Thy  hartds.  O  Lord,  how  great 
are  Thy  works.'  and  thy  thoughts  are  very  deep.  A  brutish 
man  knoweth  not;  neither  doth  a  fool  understand  this. — Ps. 
xcii.  4-6. 

THE  psalmist  indulges  in  grand  conceptions 
and  celebrations,  which  fill  him  with  delight ; 
he  is  enraptured  with  thoughts  of  God's 
works  and  government.  The  brutish  man  and  the 
fool  are  incapable  of  these  boundless  and  delightful 
speculations:  they  are  wholly  occupied  with  narrow, 
frivolous,  sordid  interests. 

There  is  the  larger  thought  that  arises  from  the 
contemplation  of  God's  works.  This  rapturous  passage 
must  contain  a  reference  to  the  greatness  and  glory 
of  creation.  The  psalmist  is  alive  to  the  beauty  of  the 
earth,  the  wildness  of  the  sea,  the  magnificence  of 
the  heavens,  and  these  appreciations  enlarge  his  heart 
and  fill  it  with  pure  enthusiasm.  Contemplating  the 
divine  grandeurs  of  nature,  he  becomes  oblivious  to  the 
petty  thoughts  and  cares  of  human  hfe,  and  bathes 
his  soul  in  the  infinite. 

Never  was  there  more  pressing  need  of  the  larger 
thought  than  to-day.    Our  age  is  specially  materialistic, 

9 


10  ON  THINKING  IMPERIALLY 

industrial,  mechanical,  commercial,  and  we  are  steeped 
in  belittling,  coarsening  influences.  The  conditions 
of  modern  life  seem  to  forbid  that  a  grain  of  poetry- 
should  be  left  in  our  brain,  a  spark  of  noble  passion  in 
our  heart.  The  ugly,  the  hard,  the  vulgar,  and  the  vile 
are  the  shades  of  our  prison-house.  What,  then,  is  the 
special  antidote  and  compensation  that  heaven  has 
provided  against  this  threatening  deluge  of  materialism 
and  meanness?  The  age  of  secularism  is  also  the  age 
of  science.  "God  hath  even  made  the  one  side  by  side 
with  the  other."  Side  by  side  with  the  demoralizing 
and  dwarfing  influence  of  intense  material  care  and 
passion  are  discovered  sublime  things  and  exquisite 
things  hidden  from  former  generations.  Lest  an  age 
of  tools  should  make  us  brutish,  and  an  age  of  gilded 
toys  make  us  fools,  God  has  reserved  to  us  the  tele- 
scope, the  spectroscope,  the  microscope,  and  other 
rare  instruments  to  keep  us  face  to  face  with  the 
splendour  and  mystery  of  the  world. 

Do  we  duly  avail  ourselves  of  the  gift  of  natural 
knowledge  vouchsafed  to  our  generation?  A  few  do, 
and  live  in  great  thoughts;  the  majority  do  not,  and 
their  brain  and  heart  are  choked  with  rubbish.  Natur- 
alists bewail  the  forlorn  lot  of  the  captive  bird ;  but  the 
far  worse  tragedy  is  that  man  himself  is  caged,  his 
humanity  thrust  into  the  narrowest  intellectual  and 
sentimental  range.  It  is  sad  to  think  how  little  this 
glorious  world  means  to  the  mass  of  us !  Weary  and 
sickened  with  ephemeral  things,  absurd  ambitions  and 
pleasures,  irritating  trifles,  disheartening  commonplaces 
of  scene  and  experience,  let  us  cultivate  more  the  ob- 
servant, adoring  mood  of  the  psalmist,  and  at  once  we 


ON  THINKING  IMPERIALLY  11 

shall  lose  ourselves  and  find  ourselves  in  the  infinite 
felicities  and  marvels  of  the  divine  hand.  Only  as  we 
delight  in  the  work  of  God  can  we  delight  in  our  own 
work  and  find  rest  to  our  soul. 

Lift,  then,  your  eyes  on  high  and  behold  the  eternal 
lights,  take  the  wings  of  the  morning,  brood  over  the 
flower,  chase  the  subtle  splendour  of  minute  life 
through  its  secret  hiding-places,  revel  in  landscapes 
chequered  with  glowing  colours,  listen  to  the  solemn 
music  of  the  sea,  and  the  weariness  of  life  is  gone. 
"Give  me  a  great  thought,"  was  the  dying  cry  of 
Schiller ;  it  is  the  agonizing  cry  of  millions  of  the  liv- 
ing, only  they  do  not  understand  the  secret  of  their 
discontent.  Nature  is  a  repository  of  the  great 
thoughts  of  God  which  science  interprets,  and  in  those 
thoughts  our  soul  walks  at  large — wonders,  worships, 
and  sings.  "The  world  is  yours."  Do  not  give  nature 
a  passing  glance,  science  an  idle  moment,  but  look 
deeply  and  lovingly  for  the  secrets  of  God's  wisdom, 
power,  and  love ;  for,  as  Traherne  puts  it  quaintly  yet 
profoundly :  "You  never  enjoy  the  world  aright  till 
the  sea  itself  floweth  in  your  veins,  till  you  are  clothed 
with  the  heavens,  and  crowned  with  the  stars;  and 
perceive  yourself  to  be  the  sole  heir  of  the  whole 
world." 

There  is,  secondly,  the  larger  thought  which  arises 
from  our  study  of  the  government  of  God  and  our 
identification  with  the  great  causes  that  government 
fosters.  In  a  fine  passage  Quinet  celebrates  the  day 
on  which  he  recognized  his  relation  to  the  whole  series 
of  the  past  ages :  "I  discovered  that  frail  and  circum- 
scribed as  I  may  be,  had  any  form  of  humanity  been 


U  ON  THINKING  IMPERIALLY 

wanting,  I  should  have  been  other  than  I  am.  Old 
Chaldea,  Phenicia,  Babylon,  Memphis,  Judea,  Egypt, 
Etruria,  all  have  had  a  share  in  my  education,  and  live 
in  me.  Our  individual  life  may  seem  circumscribed ; 
but  looked  at  as  forming  a  part  of  the  harmony  of  the 
ages,  it  has  a  force  and  a  meaning  we  have  perhaps 
little  dreamt  of."  And  it  is  only  as  we  realize  our 
relation  to  the  ages,  to  all  who  came  before  us,  to  all 
who  succeed  us,  striving  to  do  our  duty  to  the  whole, 
that  we  are  conscious  of  dignity,  strength,  and  satis- 
faction. Thinking  imperially,  recognizing  ourselves 
in  mankind,  and  becoming  its  helper,  we  taste  a  pure, 
vast  joy  impossible  to  a  life  centred  in  mean  egotism 
and  the  narrow  sphere  of  personal  interests. 

An  essential  way  to  redeem  life  from  insignificance 
and  satiety  is  to  identify  ourselves  with  a  great  cause. 
Mr.  Sanborn  writes  thus  of  Thoreau :  "The  atmos- 
phere of  earnest  purpose  which  pervaded  the  great 
movement  for  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves  gave  to 
the  Thoreau  family  an  elevation  of  character  which 
was  ever  after  perceptible,  and  imparted  an  air  of 
dignity  to  the  trivial  details  of  life."  Identification 
with  a  great  cause  imparts  elevation  to  the  humblest 
sincere  and  intelligent  co-worker.  One  of  the  best 
things  arising  out  of  political  partisanship  is  that  it 
gives  a  touch  of  largeness  to  lives  otherwise  paltry 
and  squalid.  Identification  with  the  temperance  cru- 
sade, the  cause  of  purity  or  mercy,  or  any  other  similar 
movement,  lifts  men  into  a  larger  sphere  and  creates 
a  satisfying  sense  of  the  value  and  glory  of  life.  A 
great  enthusiasm  tends  to  make  small  men  great,  or, 
at  least  to  evoke  the  greatness  that  otherwise  would 


ON  THINKING  IMPERIALLY  13 

have  remained  latent.  Best  of  all,  let  us  recognize 
in  its  fullness  the  government  of  God  bringing  in  the 
kingdom  of  Christ ;  here  we  have  the  sum  of  all  great 
causes.  To  plan  and  pray  for  the  establishment  of 
Christ's  reign  in  the  whole  earth  is  indeed  to  think 
imperially.  Nothing  small  or  mean  can  dwell  in  a  soul 
dominated  by  this  great  thought  and  fired  by  this  sub- 
lime passion.  What  many  of  us  need,  to  forget  our 
sorrows,  to  banish  our  weariness,  to  overcome  our 
indifference  and  disgust  with  life,  to  fill  our  days  with 
poetry  and  romance,  is  to  enlist  in  a  great  cause,  to 
serve  our  nation  and  race,  to  become  workers  in  that 
kingdom  that  ruleth  all,  and  that  ruleth  all  to  the  end 
of  filling  the  world  with  righteousness  and  peace. 
"For  Thou,  Lord,  hast  made  me  glad  through  Thy 
work :  I  will  triumph  in  the  works  of  Thy  hands." 
Naturalists  affirm  that  the  size  of  the  fish  found  in 
Central  Africa  is  subtly  influenced  by  the  dimensions 
of  the  lake  in  which  they  live,  the  same  species  being 
larger  or  smaller  in  proportion  to  the  scale  of  their 
habitat.  Living  in  a  small  world,  we  men  dwindle  and 
wither;  but  as  knowledge  and  imagination,  faith  and 
hope,  make  us  citizens  of  a  vaster  universe,  corre- 
sponding characters  of  glory  are  imprinted  on  our 
soul. 


II 

THE  ASHES  OF  ROSES 

The  fading  Aower  of  his  glorious  beauty. — ISA.  xxviii.  i. 

IN  one  of  his  nature-notes  Mr.  E.  K.  Robinson 
suggests  the  construction  of  a  floral  thermome- 
ter. "With  us  the  convolvus  can  stand  about 
one  degree  more  of  frost  than  the  dahha,  and  the 
canary-creeper  one  more  than  the  convolvulus;  and 
one  might  almost  fill  a  large  flower-bed  with  plants 
arranged  according  to  their  cold-resisting  powers,  so 
that  on  each  morning  of  late  autumn  and  early  winter 
one  could  see  how  much  frost  there  had  been  the  night 
before  by  the  plants  that  had  suffered. "  But  he  adds : 
"When  all  was  done,  it  would  be  only  a  gloomy  pleasure 
that  one  would  derive  from  counting  the  deaths  of 
beautiful  things."  Yet  in  fact  this  is  what  we  are  ever 
doing.  The  world  at  large  is  a  prepared  cemetery,  and 
we  pensively  mark  the  lapse  of  time  by  the  vanishing 
of  dear  faces  and  the  fading  of  beautiful  things. 

The  fairy  days  of  childhood  soon  flit  away  as  the 
fairies  do.  Youthful  love  and  beauty  are  grains  of 
gold  lost  whilst  they  glitter  in  the  coarser  sand-heap 
of  time's  hour-glass.  Bridal  blossoms  are  as  illusive 
as  the  flowers  of  a  dream.  The  season  when  our 
children  are  about  us  is  mockingly  brief.    The  sweet 

14 


THE     ASHES     OF     ROSES         15 

days  and  ambrosial  nights  of  charming  friendship 
vanish  with  the  rainbow  and  the  falling  star.  The 
perfection  of  our  powers  is  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 
"All  times  of  our  wealth"  are  snowflakes  on  the  river, 
one  moment  white,  then  gone  for  ever.  Hours  of 
glorious  life  are  auroral  gleams.  Cherished  things  of 
grace  and  joy  perish  in  the  using,  as  roses  crumble 
into  ashes  with  the  dew  still  upon  them.  Life  is  over 
ere  it  is  well  begun,  and  the  relics  of  its  colour  and 
perfume  are  a  few  sober  memories,  as  in  the  museum 
at  Cairo  a  handful  of  withered  flowers  gathered  from 
the  coffins  of  the  dead  is  all  that  remains  of  the 
gardens  of  the  morning  world.  And,  once  again,  the 
things  and  sensations  which  have  eluded  us  cannot  be 
restored.  It  is  fabled  of  Eastern  magicians  that  they 
can  take  the  dust  of  a  flower  and  by  their  incantations 
restore  it  in  phantom  form  as  it  was  in  life.  But  the 
ghostly  bloom  could  only  be  a  pathetic  reproduction — 
the  dyes,  the  lustre,  the  fragrance,  all  that  constituted 
the  fashion  and  glory  of  the  sweet  original,  have 
perished.  So  by  portraits,  trinkets,  letters,  epitaphs, 
and  biographies  we  seek  to  perpetuate  lost  delights ; 
but  the  aching  heart  tells  how  unavailing  these  tricks 
are.  The  photograph  of  a  rainbow,  the  ashes  of  a 
rose,  go  only  a  little  way  to  retrieve  the  lost  glories 
of  heaven  and  earth,  and  no  expedient  of  love  or  wis- 
dom can  bring  back  the  light  of  other  days. 

Let  us  in  the  spirit  of  godliness  realise  all  the  gaiety 
and  glory  of  life.  The  fading  flower  of  the  text  is  the 
symbol  of  pride,  indulgence,  and  worldliness  and  its 
end  can  only  be  bitter  dust.  So  is  it  ever  with  unholy 
loftiness,  show,  and  jubilation.     Verse  5  presents  us 


16         THE     ASHES     OF     ROSES 

with  a  contrast  to  our  text :  "In  that  day  shall  the  Lord 
of  hosts  be  for  a  crown  of  glory,  and  for  a  diadem  of 
beauty,  unto  the  residue  of  His  people."  Here  glory 
and  beauty  become  consummate  and  perpetual.  In 
whatever  sparkling  things  you  delight,  delight  also  in 
the  Lord.  Take  every  lovely  object  and  delectable 
moment  as  gifts  from  His  hand,  enjoy  everything  in 
His  fear,  let  all  be  hallowed  by  His  blessing,  and  the 
succession  of  ephemeral  pleasures  shall  enrich  your 
imagination,  aflfections,  and  character  with  abiding 
treasure  and  joy.  Worn  by  a  pure  and  devout  soul 
fading  flowers  become  amaranth. 

Be  alert  to  realise  all  goodly  things  as  they  swim 
past.  The  epicurean  ought  not  to  be  the  only  one 
to  seize  the  ever-vanishing  pleasures  of  sight  and  hear- 
ing, of  scent  and  taste,  of  intellectual  rarities,  of  social 
felicities,  and  to  joy  in  the  lovely  things  as  bees  riot 
in  the  dust  of  beauty;  it  is  the  right  and  privilege  of 
the  pure  also  to  grasp  fleeting  joys  and  taste  their 
sweetness.  To-day,  whilst  it  is  'called  to-day,  rejoice 
in  whatever  the  day  brings.  Do  not  say,  I  will  return 
to  this  flower.  It  blooms  only  for  a  few  sunny  hours, 
and  then  withers  on  its  stem.  As  the  Italians  say: 
"There  is  no  rose  of  a  hundred  days." 

My  Lord,  I  find  that  nothing  else  will  do, 
But  follow  where  thou  goest,  sit  at  thy  feet. 
And  where  I  have  thee  not,  still  run  to  meet. 
Roses  are  scentless,  hopeless  are  the  morns, 
Rest  is  but  weakness,  laughter  crackling  thorns, 
If  thou,  the  Truth,  do  not  make  them  the  true: 
Thou  art  my  life,  O  Christ,  and  nothing  else  will  do. 


Ill 

FASCINATION  OF  DIFFICULTY 

Hast  thou  entered  the  treasures  of  the  snow,  or  hast  thou 
seen  the  treasuries  of  the  hail? — ^Job  xxxviii.  22 

JOHN  ADDINGTON  SYMONDS,  returning  to 
the  Alps  from  a  visit  to  Venice,  sat  down  to 
write  a  history  of  avalanches,  remarking,  "In  the 
long  run  we  really  love  the  sternest  things  in  life  best." 
Symonds's  paradox  expresses  a  deep  and  suggestive 
truth.  We  see  this  in  the  young,  with  all  their  reputed 
love  of  ease  and  indulgence.  They  leave  the  most 
luxurious  homes  for  voyages  and  campaigns  which 
imply  almost  incredible  hardship  and  peril.  The  terri- 
ble career  is  not  forced  upon  them  as  upon  a  convict 
or  conscript;  they  deliberately  choose  it,  they  enter 
upon  it  as  gay  as  a  bridegroom,  and  they  do  so  with 
full  knowledge  of  its  privations  and  sufferings.  This 
is  a  matter  of  everyday  occurrence.  They  cheerfully 
quit  the  primrose  paths  for  steep  and  rugged  ways, 
every  step  in  which  means  toil  and  may  mean  destruc- 
tion. Our  national  history  furnishes  striking  evidence 
of  this  strange  fascination.  With  the  whole  rich  world 
before  them,  our  adventurous  forefathers  found  Arctic 
exploration  specially  alluring.  In  The  Expansion  of 
England  Seeley  records  this  remarkable  passion :  "Our 
explorers,  naturally  but  unfortunately,  turned  their 
attention   to   the   Polar   regions,   and   so   discovered 

17 


18         FASCINATION   OF  DIFFICULTY 

nothing  but  frozen  oceans,  while  their  rivals  (Spanish 
and  Portuguese)  were  making  a  triumphal  progress 
on  from  island  unto  island  at  the  gateways  of  the  sun." 
Again,  in  our  own  day  we  have  a  fresh  demonstration 
in  our  Alpine  climbers  of  this  allurement  of  difficulty. 
Not  finding  severity  enough  in  their  national  pathway, 
members  of  the  rich  and  leisured  class  voluntarily  seek 
it  where  a  very  short  step  comes  between  them  and 
death.  Like  Symonds,  they  forsake  enchanted  Venice 
and  the  gardens  of  Italy  for  the  snowy  altitudes  of  the 
Alps,  ice-gulfs,  and  the  loose  mountain  trembling  from 
on  high.  Strange  that  it  should  be  so,  yet  so  it  is. 
Our  fear  of  excessive  cold  is  intense  and  inveterate; 
scientists  think  it  is  a  reminiscence  of  the  awful 
struggle  of  primitive  man  with  the  ice  age:  yet  it  is 
overcome  by  the  passion  for  difficulty,  the  instinct  for 
peril.  At  the  thought  of  the  edelweiss  we  forget  all 
the  gay  flowers  of  the  field. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  justify  this  instinct  for  stern 
things,  for  really  we  see  at  last  that  it  is  the  instinct 
of  self-preservation,  the  preservation  of  our  higher 
self  through  the  denial  and  discipline  of  our  lower  self. 
The  gilded  youth  dandled  in  the  lap  of  luxury  secures 
his  manhood  by  the  wild  daring  of  loss  and  difficulty — 
by  losing  his  life  he  saves  it.  Seeley  says:  "Our  ex- 
plorers unfortunately  turned  their  attention  to  the 
Polar  seas,  and  so  discovered  nothing  but  frozen 
oceans."  Is  that  the  whole  truth  ?  Certainly  no  gold- 
mines, precious  stones,  spices,  or  orchids  are  found  in 
these  frozen  regions ;  yet  we  cannot  be  blind  to  the  fact 
that  our  national  adventure  there  through  many  gen- 
erations has  proved  a  splendid  discipline.    In  the  end 


FASCINATION   OF  DIFFICULTY         19 

the  explorers  who  dared  the  Polar  night  discovered 
something  more  than  frozen  oceans :  they  have  secured 
everything,  even  the  glorious  lands  at  the  gateways  of 
the  sun.  And  sad  as  the  summer  catastrophes  of 
Switzerland  are,  Alpine  climbing  may  be  the  necessary 
tonic  of  a  rich  civilization.  One  of  the  deepest  instincts 
of  our  nature  teaches  the  preciousness  of  severity. 

Life  may  easily  become  much  too  easy.  We  heard 
the  other  day  of  a  lady  who,  in  mistaken  compassion, 
cracked  a  cocoon  so  that  the  butterfly  might  the  more 
easily  escape;  but  when  the  pampered  creature 
emerged,  it  was  sickly  and  colourless,  and  soon  died. 
The  painful  effort  of  escape  was  essential  to  its  strength 
and  splendour.  Through  tribulations  must  we 
struggle  into  the  higher  life  of  the  spirit.  We  love  to 
review  the  treasuries  of  the  sun,  the  wealth  of  soft 
and  lovely  things :  let  us  remember  the  treasuries  of 
the  snow,  the  noble,  holy,  and  beautiful  issues  of 
sanctified  hardship  and  sorrow. 


IV 
THE  POLES  OF  THE  MORAL  WORLD 

Against  Thee,  Thee  only,  have  I  sinned,  and  done  that 
which  is  evil  in  Thy  sight:  that  Thou  niayest  be  justified  zvhen 
Thou  speakest,  and  be  clear  when  Thou  judgest. — Ps.  li.  4. 

IT  is  of  first  consequence  that  we  clearly  perceive 
and  steadily  remember  the  fact  of  the  absolute 
and  eternal  antagonism  of  sin  with  the  nature 
and  purpose  of  the  Almighty.  Once  permit  this  great 
truth  to  be  obscured,  and  all  moral  life  is  relaxed. 
And  in  certain  quarters  strenuous  efforts  are  made  to 
obscure  it.  Poets  and  philosophers  so  speculate  on 
moral  evil  as  to  leave  the  impression  that  it  is  not 
wholly  illegitimate,  but  is  in  some  sense  and  measure 
a  medium  for  the  manifestation  of  God's  will  and  the 
agent  of  His  purpose.  One  of  this  school  argues  that 
evil  and  good  are  fundamentally  identical,  that  they 
constitute  a  "double-faced  unity."  At  the  very 
moment  of  writing  we  notice  in  one  of  the  reviews  this 
passage :  "The  mystery  of  evil  owes  its  mysteriousness 
chiefly  to  the  incongruous  attributes  with  which  earlier 
thought  invested  its  author.  Clear  away  these  dis- 
figurements, and  the  moral  reproach  of  the  mystery 
will  disappear  with  them,  and  evil,  freed  from  all  that 
is  malignant,  may  then  find  place  in  the  divine  scheme, 
as  a  stern  but  faithful  minister  of  its  benign  purpose." 

90 


THE  POLES  OF  THE  MORAL  WORLD    21 

This  is  the  profoundly  false  teaching  we  must  resent. 
Evil  cannot  be  freed  from  all  that  is  malignant.  It  is 
no  part  of  the  divine  scheme.  It  is  no  minister  of  the 
benign  purpose  which  dominates  the  creation. 
"Against  Thee  have  I  sinned."  This  is  the  immense 
truth  to  burn  into  the  soul. 

1.  Sin  is  not  from  God.  The  Old  Testament  holds 
this  cardinal  truth  aloft,  clear  as  noonday.  "He  is 
the  Rock,  His  work  is  perfect :  for  all  His  ways  are 
judgement:  a  God  of  truth  and  without  iniquity,  just 
and  right  is  He."  The  same  teaching  is  everywhere 
endorsed  in  the  New  Testament.  "Let  no  man  say, 
when  he  is  tempted,  I  am  tempted  of  God :  for  God 
cannot  be  tempted  with  evil,  and  He  Himself  tempteth 
no  man."  "Every  good  gift  and  every  perfect 
boon  is  from  above,"  but  the  evil  determination  is 
from  within.  Philosophers  and  mystics  vainly  dream- 
ing discern  the  poison  and  malignity  of  evil  first  in 
God ;  they  infer  that  it  was  part  of  His  own  substance, 
and  that  the  confusion  of  the  world  springs  out  of  the 
divine  nature :  revelation,  however,  knows  nothing  of 
such  notions.  "God  is  light,  and  in  Him  is  no  darkness 
at  all."  He  is  the  Music  that  has  known  no  discord, 
the  eternal  Beauty  who  requires  no  foil  and  suffers  no 
blemish.  Love  that  never  touched  a  limit,  Purity  that 
excludes  temptation,  Life  undimmed  by  time's 
shadow.  It  is  the  crowning  blasphemy  to  implicate 
God  with  sin.  As  John  Howe  says :  "He  could  not  be 
the  cause  of  unhfbliness  but  by  ceasing  to  be  holy." 

2.  Sin  is  not  for  God.    "Against  Thee." 

Sin  is  contradiction,  not  misinformation.  Not 
merely  lack  of  knowledge,  but,  as  we  see  every  day, 


22  THE  POLES  OF  THE  MORAL  WORLD 

it  is  committed  in  defiance  of  knowledge,  the  act  of 
sheer  wilfuhiess.  It  is  a  deUberate  assertion  of  our- 
selves as  against  the  supreme  law  which  we  perfectly 
understand. 

Sin  is  contradiction,  not  misdirection.  We  do  not 
so  much  miss  the  mark — we  refuse  to  aim  at  it.  It 
is  not  that  we  take  a  false  direction  which  is  in  some- 
wise a  variant  of  the  true;  we  prefer  one  that  leads 
right  away  from  the  divine  goal.  "And  they  have 
turned  unto  Me  the  back,  and  not  the  face." 

Sin  is  contradiction,  not  imperfection.  The  child 
is  imperfect  in  relation  to  the  man,  the  pupil  in  rela- 
tion to  the  master;  but  the  sinner  is  not  after  this 
fashion  an  imperfect  saint.  He  is  not  on  the  same 
lines  of  development  at  all.  He  occupies  an  opposite 
pole,  not  a  lower  stage.  Sin  is  not  the  failure  of  one 
striving  upward,  it  is  the  denial  of  the  heavenly  vision. 

Sin  is  contradiction,  not  contrast.  Contrasts  are 
not  contradictions.  "Contrasts,"  says  Martensen,  "are 
necessary  differences  which  emerge  from  the  essence 
of  the  thing,  and  which  mutually  demand  one  another ; 
but  contradiction  is  that  which  is  repungant  to  the 
essence  of  the  thing."  Vice  is  not  a  necessary  differ- 
ence which  emerges  from  the  essence  of  righteousness ; 
it  is  repugnant  to  that  essence.  It  is  opposition,  not 
differentiation. 

Sin  is  contradiction,  not  privation.  It  is  not  merely 
the  absence  of  something,  as  darkness  is  the  absence 
of  light ;  it  is  also  the  presence  of  something,  the  posi- 
tive assertion  of  the  individual  will  against  the  com- 
mandments of  God.  This  will  is  the  'centre  of  person- 
ality, and  its  decisions  are  of  the  essence  of  actuality. 


THE  POLES  OF  THE  MORAL  WORLD    23 

If  there  is  anything  real  in  our  hfe,  it  is  when  we  call 
upon  ourselves  to  resist  or  to  obey  the  eternal  law. 

"The  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against  God."  Sin  is 
rebellion  against  God's  majesty.  It  is  full  of  terrible 
independence  and  ambition.  It  is  the  impeachment 
of  the  divine  wisdom.  "The  foolishness  of  God  is 
wiser  than  men,"  but  the  sinner  does  not  think  so: 
he  thinks  the  foolishness  of  man  is  wiser  than  God. 
Whenever  we  sin,  our  inward  thought  is  that  our  pro- 
gramme is  more  rational  than  His.  It  is  the  denial  of 
the  divine  goodness.  He  who  transgresses  the  law 
believes  that  more  good  is  gained  by  breaking  than 
keeping  it :  he  denies  the  goodness  of  the  law  and  the 
love  of  the  Lawgiver.  It  is  unbelief  in  the  divine  truth 
and  justice.  The  transgressor  secretly  believes  that 
he  shall  eat  and  not  die.  Sin  is  the  real,  irreconcilable 
antithesis.  A  "double-faced  unity" !  Between  the 
two  faces  a  wide  gulf  is  fixed,  and  a  wide  gulf  ever 
yawns  between  those  who  serve  God  and  those  who 
serve  Him  not.  Heaven  and  hell  express  the  "double- 
faced  unity" ;  good  and  evil  never  come  nearer  together 
than  that,  whatever  gossamer  bridge  speculation  may 
spin  between. 


THE  SORROWS  OF  SUPERIORITY 

Mine  heritage  is  unto  me  as  a  speckled  bird;  the  birds  round 
about  are  against  her. — ^Jer.  xii.  9. 

WHATEVER  may  be  the  exact  sense  of  this 
passage,  it  serves  to  remind  us  that  the 
privileged  character  of  Israel  excited  the 
jealousy  of  surrounding  nations,  and  in  their  faithful- 
ness and  unfaithfulness  brought  upon  the  chosen 
people  special  sorrows.  The  birds  round  about  were 
against  her  because  the  colours  of  heaven  streaked 
her  feathers.  Every  kind  of  superiority  excites  dislike 
and  invites  attack.  When  Solomon  bestowed  gifts 
upon  the  birds,  the  hoopoes  received  golden  crowns 
and  flew  away  well  satisfied  with  the  distinction.  But 
the  jealousy  of  their  brethren  and  the  cupidity  of 
man  were  so  excited  at  the  sight,  that  the  hoopoes 
went  in  constant  fear  of  their  lives,  and  in  time  re- 
turned to  their  would-be  benefactor  and  prayed  him  to 
take  away  from  them  the  possession  which  had  become 
so  dangerous.  The  king  listened  to  their  supplication, 
deprived  them  of  the  glittering  crowns  with  which 
he  had  adorned  them,  gave  them  instead  crests  0  f  buff 
feathers  tipped  with  black,  and  so  sent  them  away 

24 


THE  SORROWS  OF  SUPERIORITY       25 

rejoicing.  This  fable  is  a  parable  of  the  exasperating 
quality  of  excellence  in  all  departments.  An  extra 
splash  of  gold  or  purple  on  our  wings  awakens  the 
enmity  of  the  commonplace.  Victor  Hugo  hits  the 
nail  on  the  head :  "Truly,  all  success  in  this  world  is  a 
crime,  and  must  be  expiated."  Schopenhauer  reminds 
us  that  we  must  not  expect  to  make  ourselves  popular 
in  society  by  exhibiting  intelligence  and  discernment, 
for  with  the  majority  such  qualities  excite  hatred  and 
resentment.  To  show  your  intelligence  and  discern- 
ment is  only  an  indirect  way  of  reproaching  others  for 
being  dull  and  incapable.  Intellectual  ability  is  felt 
as  a  piece  of  impertinence.  A  man  may  be  as  humble 
as  possible  in  his  demeanour,  and  yet  hardly  ever  get 
others  to  overlook  his  crime  in  standing  intellectually 
above  them.  As  Dr.  Johnson  testifies :  "There  is 
nothing  by  which  a  man  exasperates  most  people  more 
than  by  displaying  a  superior  ability  of  brilliancy  of 
conversation."  To  be  accepted  by  the  stupid  you  must 
conceal  the  Argus  eyes  and  scarlet  feather.  The  birds 
round  about  do  not  take  kindly  to  the  speckled  bird 
of  genius. 

This  antipathy  is  most  pronounced  in  relation  to 
moral  and  spiritual  excellence.  The  world  loves  its 
own,  and  is  shy  of  heavenly  characters  not  well  com- 
prehended. Joseph  is  an  outstanding  illustration  of 
this.  It  was  not  so  much  the  coat  of  many  colours 
that  rendered  him  a  speckled  bird  hated  of  his  brethren, 
as  the  pure  and  lovely  moral  qualities  of  which  the 
variegated  tunic  was  a  sign.  "Joseph  is  a  fruitful 
bough,  a  fruitful  bough  by  a  fountain;  his  branches 
run  over  the  wall.     The  archers  have  sorely  grieved 


26      THE  SORROWS  OF  SUPERIORITY 

him  and  shot  at  him  and  persecuted  him."  Thousands 
to-day  are  conscious  of  this  isolation,  and  find  it  hard 
to  bear.  An  old  writer  wittily  observes :  "Let  those 
who  would  be  singular  be  very  virtuous."  Many  are 
thus  nobly  singular,  and  those  about  them  resent  it. 
Sometimes  in  the  home  circle  fine  character  excites 
dislike,  and  the  household  is  ready  with  taunt  and 
persecution.  In  business,  decided  Christian  lives  may 
provoke  unfriendliness  and  embitter  the  days  of  clerk, 
assistant,  or  workman.  And  in  public  afifairs  serious 
goodness  is  apt  to  irritate  the  community,  and  the 
singularity  of  uncompromising  truth  and  purity  is 
denounced.  If  genius  offends,  grace  much  more 
offends;  if  brilliance  of  intellect  arouses  resentment, 
pure  goodness  not  rarely  evokes  positive  malignity. 
This  enforced  solitariness  of  life  is  not  easy  to  bear, 
and  it  brings  special  temptation  and  peril.  Whatever 
we  may  be  to  the  world,  let  us  not  be  a  speckled  bird 
against  God,  as  Israel  came  to  be.  Find  the  grace 
which  enables  the  bird  of  purity  to  defy  the  birds  of 
prey.  Seek  His  fellowship  and  strength  who  trod  the 
winepress  alone.  He  knew  best  what  such  loveliness 
meant. 

Single,  yet  undismayed,  I  am ; 

I  dare  believe  in  Jesu's  name. 


VI 

THE  DIVINE  SOURCE  OF 
REDEMPTION 

This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  thai 
Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners;  of  whom 
I  am  chief. — i  Tim.  i.  15. 

CHRIST  JESUS  came  into  the  world."  The 
salvation  of  man — that  is,  his  deliverance 
from  the  debasing  element,  the  destroying 
element — is  from  above ;  it  is  directly  divine  and  super- 
natural. Christ  came  into  this  world,  descended  from 
a  higher  sphere,  that  He  might  renew  this. 

Man  cannot  save  himself.  God  never  does  any- 
thing for  us  that  we  can  do  for  ourselves.  He  never 
gave  a  system  of  philosophy.  The  universe  is  before 
us,  and  we  are  left  to  our  intelligence  to  frame  a 
reasonable  explanation  of  it.  He  never  gave  us  a  sys- 
tem of  government.  We  were  left  to  discern  by 
reflection  and  experience  the  laws  which  determine 
human  welfare.  He  never  gave  us  a  system  of  science. 
We  were  left  to  puzzle  out  for  ourselves  the  problems 
of  nature.  What  we  are  capable  of  doing  God  leaves 
us  to  do,  although  we  may  serve  a  long  apprenticeship 
of  thought  and  suffering  before  we  attain  the  necessary 
proficiency.     But  we  could  not  save  ourselves,  and 

27 


28  THE  DIVINE  SOURCE  OF  REDEMPTION 

therefore  God  has  stepped  in  to  deliver  us  by  a  mighty 
act  of  extraordinary  grace.  He  has  acted  in  the  moral 
kingdom  as  He  does  not  in  the  intellectual  and  social 
development  of  the  race,  the  reason  being  that  we  have 
a  natural  power  adequate  to  the  situation,  but  not  a 
moral  power.  The  Incarnation  was  the  stoop  of  God 
to  do  for  mankind  what  it  could  not  do  for  itself. 

There  is  no  poiver  of  redemption  within  the  race. 
Men  prate  about  doing  without  God,  yet  they  cannot 
lift  themselves  out  of  the  mud  without  Him.  In  the 
street  we  see  an  acrobat  stand  upright,  another  in- 
stantly leaps  upon  his  shoulders,  another  on  his,  per- 
haps a  fourth  mounts  higher  still  on  the  human  ladder, 
and  one  might  think  that  they  meant  to  scale  the 
heavens ;  but  this  kind  of  thing  comes  to  an  end  long 
before  they  touch  the  morning  star.  Some  think  that 
a  similar  trick  may  be  tried  in  another  sphere,  and 
accomplish  the  elevation  of  the  race.  The  school- 
master is  to  mount  the  sturdy  shoulders  of  the  trades- 
man, the  politician  is  to  support  himself  on  both,  the 
scientist  is  to  carry  upward  the  imposing  column,  and 
lastly  the  aesthete  must  crown  it  with  his  light,  grace- 
ful figure,  and  together  they  will  raise  society  into  the 
seventh  heaven  of  perfection.  But  these  admirable 
combinations  go  no  farther  in  the  moral  world  than 
they  do  in  physics.  If  society  is  to  be  lifted  to  high 
levels,  it  will  be  by  a  hand  out  of  heaven. 

There  is  no  law  of  salvation  operative  in  the  world. 
God  does  not  do  that  in  one  way  which  He  has  already 
done  in  another.  Many  think  there  is  a  law  of  healing 
in  the  world— silently,  slowly,  but  really  curing  the 
maladies  which  afflict  us;  a  law  of  uplifting — silently, 


THE  DIVINE  SOURCE  OF  REDEMPTION  29 

slowly,  but  irresistibly  exalting  the  race  to  the  stars. 
If  this  were  the  case,  if  God  had  already  implanted 
a  law  of  salvation  in  the  world,  He  would  not  do  over 
again  what  He  had  already  done  in  creation.  The 
fact  that  Christ  came  into  the  world  proves  that  there 
is  no  natural  redemption. 

Whenever  men  are  saved  it  is  by  the  intervention 
of  superior  strength  and  goodness.  It  is  so  with  the 
individual  sinner.  He  is  helpless,  often  painfully  help- 
less, until  directed,  encouraged,  and  assisted  by  noble 
friends.  They  take  him  in  hand,  instruct  him,  smooth 
his  way,  until  he  recovers  himself.  "The  impotent 
man  answered  Jesus,  Sir,  I  have  no  man,  when  the 
water  is  troubled,  to  put  me  into  the  pool."  Picture 
of  the  impotent  sinner  in  all  generations !  It  is  the 
same  with  the  debased  classes :  if  they  are  saved,  help 
must  come  from  without.  Left  to  themselves,  to  the 
policeman,  the  pawnbroker,  and  the  publican,  they 
would  rot  from  year  to  year.  Only  as  men  and  women 
of  superior  education  and  character  come  to  the  rescue 
is  there  any  hope  for  them.  To  the  East  End  of  Lon- 
don Oxford  sends  its  culture,  South  Kensington  its 
pictures,  the  West  End  its  music,  Westminster  its 
politicians,  all  Churches  their  messengers  and  chari- 
ties. There  is  hope  for  the  lapsed  classes  only  as  the 
wise,  the  rich,  the  kind,  and  the  godly  come  to  their 
aid. 

It  is  the  same  with  fallen  nations — they  never  raise 
themselves.  A  writer  of  distinction  says :  "The  civili- 
zation of  America  once  lost  was  never  recovered  till 
help  came  from  without,  in  the  shape  of  European 
intercourse  and  colonization.    To  be  isolated  is  plainly 


30  THE  DIVINE  SOURCE  OF  REDEMPTION 

to  lose  the  power  of  recovery,  and  the  longer  the 
isolation  the  more  profound  will  be  the  decay."  The 
higher  nations  must  save  the  lapsed  nations. 

It  is  the  same  with  the  race — it  can  no  more  lift 
itself  out  of  the  slime  than  a  person,  class,  or  nation 
can.  The  salvation  of  humanity  depended  upon  a 
superior  Power  coming  to  its  rescue  and  working 
out  its  redemption.  "Christ  Jesus  came  into  the 
world."  How  did  life  originate  upon  this  planet? 
The  grass,  trees,  flowers,  birds,  animals,  whence  came 
they?  What  was  the  origin  of  the  first  mysterious 
seeds  which  held  within  themselves  these  various  forms 
of  life  and  beauty?  Lord  Kelvin  believes  that 
meteoric  stones  are  seed-bearing  agents,  and  that  it 
is  not  improbable  that  these  aerolites  first  brought  to 
us  the  seeds  of  vitality  and  loveliness  from  distant 
worlds.  It  may  be  so.  The  law  of  the  cosmos  may  be 
that  living  worlds  vitalize  dead  worlds.  So  the  Son 
of  God  descended  from  the  celestial  universe  that  He 
might  bring  into  this  realm  of  death  and  despair  all 
those  glorious  truths,  influences,  and  hopes  which  are 
making  the  desolate  sphere  to  blossom  as  the  rose  and 
to  shake  like  Lebanon. 


VII 
PUT  YOURSELF  IN  HIS  PLACE 

And  I  sat  where  they)  sat. — Ezek.  iii.  15. 

IN  the  first  instance  Ezekicl  was  withdrawn  from 
the  multitude.  He  reports,  "The  Spirit  took  me 
away" :  removed  him  to  the  river  Chebar,  where 
in  his  solitude  he  had  visions  of  God.  But  he  could 
not  be  permitted  to  remain  thus  isolated.  He  must 
forsake  the  solitude  of  the  cell,  and  mix  with  the 
throng  of  the  captives.  It  was  essential  to  the  success 
of  his  ministry.  Unless  he  did  this,  all  the  visions  of 
his  solitude  were  in  vain.  Is  not,  then,  the  great  truth 
most  graphically  taught  here,  that  if  we  are  to  help 
men  we  must  in  some  sense  associate  ourselves  with 
them,  identify  ourselves  with  them?  Science  emphat- 
ically denies  what  is  known  as  "action  at  a  distance." 
That  one  body  may  act  upon  another  at  a  distance, 
through  a  vacuum,  without  the  mediation  of  anything 
else,  scientists  declare  to  be  an  absurdity.  A  thing 
cannot  act  where  it  is  not.  That  one  body  should 
operate  upon  and  affect  another  body  without  mutual 
contact  is  inconceivable.  But  if  this  principle  of  dis- 
tant action  is  impossible  in  the  material  universe,  it  is 
even  less  so  in  the  spiritual  realm.  One  soul  can  move 
another  only  by  mutual  contact. 

31 


32    PUT  YOURSELF  IN  HIS  PLACE 

Only  as  we  enter  into  personal  relations  with  men 
do  we  realize  their  sin  and  misery.  "Then  I  came 
to  them  of  the  captivity,  .  .  .  and  I  sat  where  they 
sat,  and  remained  there  astonished  among  them  seven 
days."  During  that  week  was  he  realizing  the  great- 
ness of  the  sin  and  misery  of  the  people?  Was  it  this 
that  filled  him  with  astonishment?  Henry  Drummond, 
after  close  contact  with  inquirers,  writes :  "Such  tales 
of  woe  did  I  hear  that  I  felt  I  must  go  and  change  my 
very  clothes  after  the  contact.  Oh,  I  am  sick  with  the 
sins  of  men!  How  can  God  bear  it?"  Only  in  hos- 
pital wards  does  the  student  attain  any  adequate 
knowledge  of  disease ;  and  only  whilst  dealing  imme- 
diately with  fallen  and  suffering  men  and  women  can 
we  realize  the  actuality  and  awfulness  of  human 
iniquity  and   wretchedness. 

Only  as  we  mingle  with  the  sinful  and  the  sad  do 
we  sympathize  with  them.  "I  went  in  bitterness,  in 
the  glow  of  my  spirit."  Ezekiel  came  to  the  captives 
boiling  with  wrath  because  of  their  idolatries ;  but  as 
he  "sat  where  they  sat,"  did  not  sympathy  with  the 
sinners  mingle  with  his  horror  of  their  sin  ?  The  glow 
of  pity  and  love  was  kindled  as  well  as  the  glow  of 
indignation.  We  cannot  bless  men  unless  we  love 
them,  unless  from  our  heart  we  commiserate  them ; 
and  this  is  possible  only  when  through  actual  contact 
we  really  know  their  misfortunes,  disabilities,  tempta- 
tions, and  sufferings. 

Only  as  we  become  one  with  sinning  men  and  classes 
do  we  understand  how  to  help  and  save  them.  "And 
it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  seven  days,  that  the 
word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me."     Then  and  there 


PUT  YOURSELF  IN  HIS  PLACE         33 

did  Ezekiel  understand  his  mission,  receive  his 
message,  and  begin  his  ministry.  Only  then  was  he 
fit,  only  then  was  he  competent. 

"I  sat  where  they  sat."  Is  not  this  the  philosophy 
of  the  Incarnation?  In  Hades,  says  Homer,  except 
the  shades  first  drink  blood  they  can  neither  speak 
nor  recognize  the  living.  And  it  was  only  as  the  Son 
of  God  descended  from  the  heavenly  sphere  and  be- 
came the  Son  of  Man,  that  it  was  possible  for  Him 
to  work  out  our  redemption,  "Forasmuch  then  as  the 
children  are  partakers  of  flesh  and  blood,  He  also  Him- 
self likewise  took  part  of  the  same."  "Wherefore  in 
all  things  it  behoved  Him  to  be  made  like  unto  his 
brethren,  that  He  might  be  a  merciful  and  faithful 
high-priest."  And  all  great  helpers  of  the  race  have, 
in  a  very  real  sense,  followed  this  supreme  example, 
and  sat  with  the  prisoner  and  the  slave,  the  drunkard 
and  the  harlot,  the  poor  and  the  needy,  the  sick  and  the 
dying. 

The  reformer  must  keep  this  lesson  in  mind.  He 
will  never  comprehend  the  people  through  an  opera- 
glass,  or  succour  them  from  a  balloon.  The  philan- 
thropist also  must  observe  this  law :  action  at  a  distance 
leaves  him  uninformed,  misinformed,  and  minus  the 
genuine  enthusiasm  of  humanity.  The  educationalist 
must  not  forget  this  principle.  A  little  child  is  a  big 
mystery,  and  only  they  who  seat  themselves  on  the 
lowly  bench  enter  into  the  children's  hearts  and  needs, 
and  they  alone  are  competent  to  teach,  guide,  and  bless. 
The  preacher  above  all  must  come  very  near  to  those 
whom  he  would  serve.  "I  have  learned  more,"  said 
Bishop  Christopher  Wordsworth,  "in  sick-rooms,  and 


34        PUT  YOURSELF  IN  HIS  PLACE 

from  poor  and  simple  folk,  than  from  all  the  books 
which  I  have  read."  So  much  preaching  is  sounding 
brass  and  a  tinking  cymbal  because  it  lacks  human 
sympathy.  "One  form  of  preparation  for  the  pulpit 
would  add  immeasurably  to  its  power.  That  is  the 
training  gained  by  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with 
life.  If  the  preacher  only  knew,  it  is  precisely  in  visi- 
tation, in  close  contact  with  souls,  that  he  would  find 
the  best  possible  material  for  his  work.  This  is  the 
hunting  ground  of  all  the  great  masters  of  emotion." 
This  witness  is  true.  The  true  orator  is  said  to  enter 
at  his  opponent's  door  and  to  bring  him  out  at  his; 
he  first  meets  him  on  common  ground,  and  then  per- 
suades him  to  his  own  conclusions :  so  if  we  would 
bring  men  out  at  the  door  of  heaven,  we  must  begin  by 
sitting  where  they  sit,  by  being  one  with  them  in  those 
touches  of  nature  which  make  the  whole  world  kin. 


VIII 
THE  CHARMED  LIFE  OF  THE  FRAIL 

When  I  am  weak,  then  am  I  strong. — 2  Cor.  xii.  10. 

A  LL  naturalists  are  impressed  by  the  tenacious- 
/  \  ness,  immunity,  and  successfulness  of  frail 
X  JL  creatures  and  things.  That  which  at  first  sight 
seems  to  have  Httle  if  any  chance  of  survival  in  the 
mighty  elemental  war  mysteriously  lives  and  prevails. 
Sir  J.  W.  Dawson  again  and  again  refers  to  this  strik- 
ing phenomenon.  "Mountains  become  ephemeral 
things  in  comparison  with  the  delicate  herbage  which 
covers  them,  and  seas  are  in  their  present  extent  but 
of  yesterday  when  compared  with  the  minute  and 
feeble  organisms  that  creep  on  their  sands  or  swim  in 
their  waters."  "A  superficial  observer  might  think  the 
fern  or  the  moss  of  a  granite  hill  a  frail  and  temporary 
thing  as  compared  with  solid  and  apparently  everlast- 
ing rock.  But  just  the  reverse  is  the  case.  The  plant 
is  usually  older  than  the  mountain."  Darwin  was 
similarly  impressed  by  the  security  and  triumph  of 
frail  things.  Writing  of  a  sea-weed  which  he  saw  on 
the  shores  of  South  America,  he  proceeds :  "I  know 
few  things  more  surprising  than  to  see  this  plant  grow- 
ing and  flourishing  amidst  those  great  breakers  of  the 
western  ocean,  which  no  mass  of  rock,  let  it  be  ever  so 
hard,  can  long  resist."  Bending  to  the  current  without 
breaking,  they  withstand  impetuous  tides  which  would 

35 


36  THE  CHARMED  LIFE  OF  THE  FRAIL 

uproot  the  largest  trees,  and  roaring  seas  which  the 
rock  itself  cannot  resist.  And  on  the  same  coast  the 
great  naturalist  wondered  at  the  clouds  of  frail  butter- 
flies which  passed  his  ship  far  out  at  sea ;  just  as  a  more 
recent  traveller  marvelled  to  find  the  same  winged 
beauties  fluttering  with  impunity  on  bleak,  wind-swept 
mountain  heights  of  nearly  eighteen  thousand  feet. 

Kay  Robinson  shares  in  the  astonishment  of  these 
distinguished  observers.  "It  is  a  curious  thing  that 
the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  seem  to  be  most  easily 
endured  by  the  flimsiest  creatures.  What  is  it  that, 
when  the  frost  is  splitting  our  strongest  metal  water- 
pipes,  protects  the  tiny  tubes  of  life-giving  moisture 
in  the  almost  spectral  organism  of  a  gnat?  Larger 
things  get  frost-bitten  and  perish.  In  tropical  countries 
the  tiniest  insects  brave  the  blistering  midday  heat 
which  shrivels  the  larger  herbage,  and  drives  men, 
birds,  and  animals  gasping  under  shelter.  In  India  a 
small  blue  butterfly  flits  all  day  about  the  parched 
grass  or  sits  in  full  blaze  of  the  sun,  where  metal  or 
stone  becomes  so  hot  that  it  burns  the  hand.  What 
heat-resisting  secret  resides  in  the  minute  body  of  that 
little  butterfly,  scarcely  thicker  than  notepaper? 
Nature's  power  of  preserving  life  touches  the 
miraculous." 

The  saints  have  the  least  reason  to  be  afraid  when 
they  most  feelingly  recognize  their  utter  weakness  and 
dependence.  He  who  puts  into  the  most  delicate  forms 
of  animal  and  vegetable  life  such  secrets  of  resistance 
or  evasion,  fortifies  the  heart  of  His  feeblest  children 
with  sublime  increments  of  vitality  and  victory.  Does 
sickness  or  misfortune   reduce   us   to  insignificance? 


THE  CHARMED  LIFE  OF  THE  FRAIL  37 

Precious  are  the  privileges  of  insignificance,  as  we  may 
see  everywhere  in  the  lowly  forms  of  nature.  "More 
surely  than  the  eagle  escapes  the  arrow,  the  animal- 
cule escapes  being  crushed."  Do  the  bitter  blows  of 
life  destroy  our  confidence  in  our  own  understanding 
and  sufficiency,  and  leave  us  nothing  but  to  wait  and 
trust?  Sings  the  old  poet,  "Love's  passives  are  his 
activ'st  part" ;  and  truly  the  soul  is  never  more  magnifi- 
cently strong  and  safe  than  when  tribulation,  shutting 
it  up  to  simple  love  and  trust,  causes  it  to  behave  itself 
like  a  weaned  child. 

In  submission,  contentment,  gentleness,  humility, 
and  patience  the  sovereign  energy  of  love  asserts  itself 
as  rarely  in  action.  The  active  and  passive  virtues  are 
two  sides  of  one  shield,  but  the  deep  significance  of 
our  Lord's  life  is  that  the  passive  graces  constitute 
the  golden  side.  Gentleness,  long-suffering,  and  en- 
durance are  of  the  essence  of  the  divinely  great  and 
heroic.  Do  the  sorrows  and  severities  of  life  feelingly 
persuade  us  of  our  frailty,  and  bow  us  to  the  earth? 
We  prevail  by  yielding,  we  succumb  to  conquer,  like 
those  sea-flowers  which  continue  to  bloom  amid  the 
surf  when  the  rocks  are  pounded.  In  acquiescence  and 
diffidence,  in  yieldingness  and  clinging,  do  we  triumph, 
as  the  fern  survives  geological  cataclysms  and  the 
butterfly  the  blizzard. 

In  celebrating  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  the  Jews 
are  required  to  make  their  booths  sufficiently  frail  that 
the  stars  may  be  seen  through  them :  thus  through  the 
rents  of  the  body  and  the  dislocations  of  circumstance 
are  we  kept  face  to  face  with  the  claims  and  hopes  of 
a  higher  world,  and  the  fragile  booth  in  which  we 


38  THE  CHARMED  LIFE  OF  THE  FRAIL 

painfully  dwell  is  a  safer  refuge  than  the  walls  of  iron 
and  gates  of  brass  of  a  carnal  security.  The  humbled, 
bruised  soul  is  far  from  conceits  and  presumption. 
There  is  a  temper  of  bravado,  a  jingoism  of  life,  of 
which  we  may  well  stand  in  fear;  but  the  habitual 
sense  of  our  own  nothingness  before  God,  and  of  our 
entire  dependence  on  His  grace,  is  a  state  of  salvation, 
a  presage  of  full  and  final  victory. 


IX 
THE  DILEMMAS  OF  DUTY 

In  this  thing  the  Lord  pardon  thy  servant;  when  my  master 
goeth  into  the  house  of  Rimmon  to  worship  there,  and  he 
leaneth  on  my  hand,  and  I  bow  myself  in  the  house  of  Rim- 
mon, when  I  bow  myself  in  the  house  of  Rimmon,  the  Lord 
pardon  thy  servant  in  this  thing.  And  he  said  unto  him.  Go 
in  peace. — 2  Kings  v.  18,  19. 

IN  the  main  the  path  of  duty  is  sufficiently  clear, 
but  not  always.  Baffling  situations  arise,  and 
it  is  difficult  to  determine  what  is  right  and  best. 
And  the  more  sterling  the  character,  the  more  likely 
are  these  delicate  questions  to  arise.  The  majority 
are  not  troubled  about  bowing  in  the  house  of  Rimmon 
because  they  grovel  before  the  idol ;  but  there  is  a 
bewildering  zone  to  every  sensitive  soul,  a  twilight 
region  of  conflicting  duties.  The  subject  is  by  no 
means  academical.  A  complex  civilization  tends  to 
multiply  ambiguous  situations,  and  we  could  easily 
compile  a  considerable  list  of  the  singular  positions  in 
which  godly  men  find  themselves,  and  of  the  curiosi- 
ties of  compromise  into  which  they  enter.  Dean  Farrar 
remarks  on  this  passage :  "The  only  rule  which  sincere 
Christians  can  follow  is  to  have  no  truce  with  Canaan, 
no  halting  between  two  opinions,  no  tampering,  no 
compliance,  no  connivance,  no  complicity  with  evil — 

39 


40     THE    DILEMMAS    OF    DUTY 

even  no  tolerance  of  evil  as  far  as  their  own  conduct  is 
concerned.  No  good  man,  in  the  light  of  the  gospel 
dispensation,  could  condone  himself  in  seeming  to 
sanction — still  less  in  doing — anything  which  in  his 
opinion  ought  not  to  be  done,  or  in  saying  anything 
which  implied  his  own  acquiescence  in  things  which  he 
knows  to  be  evil." 

But  these  excellent  commonplaces  do  not  help  us. 
The  fact  remains  that  various  evils  are  subtly  inter- 
woven with  the  very  fabric  of  society,  and  the  most 
delicate  situations  and  problems  of  duty  arise.  Life 
is  charmingly  simple  when  we  dwell  in  a  cottage  in  a 
vast  wilderness;  but  let  us  make  the  immense  initial 
compromise  of  entering  into  society  and  its  manifold 
relations,  and  a  train  of  compromises  is  inevitable — 
compromises  which  often  impinge  on  morals  and 
religion.  In  medical,  legal,  military,  political,  and 
commercial  life,  righteous  men  find  themselves  in 
positions  in  which,  to  say  the  least,  they  are  uncom- 
fortable, and  where  they  are  required  to  act  in  a  way 
that  goes  against  the  grain.  In  this  sadly  disordered 
world  pious  men  are  confronted  by  problems  of  con- 
duct apparently  as  insoluble  as  the  squaring  of  the 
circle.  They  can  cut  the  knot  by  getting  out  of  the 
world;  but  if  they  are  to  abide  in  their  calling,  they 
are  entangled  by  associations  which  in  certain  particu- 
lars conflict  with  their  faith  and  feeling. 

On  the  whole,  Elisha  thought  it  best  for  Naaman 
to  continue  with  his  Syrian  master.  "Go  in  peace." 
Farrar  thinks  that  Elijah  would  have  refused  this 
sanction,  but  there  is  no  reason  for  this  supposition. 
St.  Paul  in  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  (viii. 


THE    DILEMMAS    OF    DUTY     41 

1-13)  agrees  with  Elisha.  "We  know  that  an  idol  is 
nothing  in  the  world."  The  process  of  reasoning  by 
which  the  apostle  justified  the  Christians  who  ate  meat 
offered  to  idols  would  excuse  Naaman  bowing  in  the 
house  of  Rimmon  and  justify  the  judgment  of  the 
prophet.  On  the  whole,  taking  all  their  circumstances 
into  consideration,  it  is  sometimes  better  that  godly 
men  should  suffer  certain  social  compromises  than 
that  they  should  violently  and  abruptly  sever  them- 
selves from  the  familiar  circle  of  life  and  duty.  We 
say,  "suffer"  certain  social  compromises,  for  if  they 
desired  or  welcomed  them  the  whole  case  would  be 
changed. 

In  dealing  with  a  dilemma  of  duty  let  us  not  forget 
the  extreme  seriousness  of  any  kind  of  concession  to 
unrighteousness  or  ungodliness.  Even  when  for  the 
sake  of  "the  present  distress"  we  permit  the  compro- 
mise, our  feet  stand  in  slippery  places.  Charles  Reade 
justly  discriminates  on  this  delicate  matter :  "Mr. 
Eden's  anxiety  to  be  back  among  his  prisoners  in- 
creased daily,  but  his  nurses  would  not  hear  of  it. 
They  acted  in  concert,  and  stuck  at  nothing  to  cure 
their  patient.  They  assured  him  all  was  going  well  in 
the  prison.  They  meant  well ;  but  for  all  that,  every 
lie,  great  or  small,  is  the  brink  of  a  precipice  the  depths 
of  which  nothing  but  Omniscience  can  fathom," 
Christian  men  will  not  lie,  yet  that  reserve  and  finesse 
which  the  situation  demands  incline  to  the  same  brink 
of  peril,  and  so  do  most  other  compromises. 

Remembering  the  inevitableness  of  compromise,  let 
us  be  comforted  in  the  fact  that  perfect  sincerity  on 
our  part  implies  a  rare  gift  of  discrimination.    "There 


42    THE    DILEMMAS    OF    DUTY 

are  instincts  for  all  crises,"  and  no  doubt,  entirely 
truthful  souls  possess  wonderful  intuitions  of  leading. 
The  single  eye  ensures  a  body  full  of  light.  Every- 
thing, however,  must  not  be  trusted  to  mystic  insight 
and  impulse;  a  cultivated  judgment  ought  to  accom- 
pany entire  sincerity.  "And  this  I  pray,  that  your  love 
may  abound  yet  more  and  more  in  knowledge  and  in 
all  judgment."  Survey  the  whole  situation,  weigh 
conflicting  claims  in  delicate  balances,  exercise  a  prac- 
tical judgment  on  particularly  perplexing  questions, 
and  the  Spirit  of  God  will  not  permit  us  greatly  to  err. 
Having  come  to  a  thoughtful  and  prayerful  conclusion, 
for  the  rest  "think  noble  thoughts  of  God,"  who  will 
render  you  immune  in  half-lawful  places,  and  in  His 
good  time  and  wonderful  working  lead  you  out  of 
them.  It  may  be  that  we  suffer  these  painful  com- 
promises in  the  interest  of  larger  and  higher  issues,  as 
Naaman's  continuance  with  the  Syrian  gave  the  true 
religion  a  standing  in  an  idolatrous  court:  the  tares 
were  spared  in  the  interest  of  the  wheat.  Our  spirit 
and  action,  too,  in  ambiguous  situations  may  furnish 
more  impressive  evidences  of  our  integrity  than  sharp, 
definite  paths  of  duty  can  evoke.  And  the  zone  of 
dubiety  and  suspense  implies  precious  discipline. 
Make  the  Divine  Spirit  your  counsellor,  and  He  shall 
guide  into  the  whole  truth. 


X 
THE  TYRANNY  OF  TIME 

In  your  patience  ye  shall  win  your  souls. — Luke  xxi.  19. 

IT  is  easy  to  become  impatient  in  regard  to  the 
development  of  our  own  character.  Whilst  sin- 
cerely and  earnestly  striving  to  outUve  our  faults, 
and  attain  a  worthier  life,  we  are  sometimes  almost 
heartbroken  by  the  absence  of  any  striking  signs  of 
progress.  Yet  it  is  unreasonable  to  lose  hope  and 
courage.  The  growth  of  any  seeker  after  a  high  ideal 
will  seem  slow  to  the  enthusiastic  mind,  and  when  we 
aim  at  a  lofty  moral  ideal  we  must  specially  remember 
the  stubbornness  of  constitutional  faults  to  which 
heredity  has  perhaps  given  the  sanction  of  centuries. 
Our  improvement  may  be  real  whilst  it  is  impercep- 
tible. An  artist  recently  took  at  short  intervals  a 
hundred  photographs  marking  the  various  stages  of  a 
rapidly  growing  plant.  Now,  it  would  require  a  fine 
eye  to  distinguish  progress  in  the  successive  pictures 
of  the  long  series :  so  imperceptible  would  be  the 
changes  of  the  plant,  that  any  two  closely  following 
plates  would  be  indistinguishable,  and  progress 
would  be  evident  only  when  somewhat  distant  pictures 
of  the  series  were  compared.  Yet  personally  we  often 
lose  heart  by  comparing  our  present  selves  with  our 

43 


44      THE    TYRANNY    OF    TIME 

moral  and  spiritual  history  of  yesterday.  How  impos- 
sible to  gauge  moral  movement!  But  even  when 
onward  and  upward  movement  is  really  slender,  has 
not  modern  thought  recognized  the  immense  import- 
ance of  even  the  most  trifling  variation?  H  we  are 
living  rightly,  the  deepest  changes  are  being  silently 
wrought  in  the  depths  of  our  nature,  and  the  faintest 
of  these  is  a  cause  for  infinite  gratitude.  The  plant 
was  steadily  on  its  way  to  the  consummation  of  its 
glorious  flower,  even  when  the  photographic  film  failed 
to  register  its  too  delicate  progress ;  and  with  true  men 
the  soul  grows  in  the  power  of  holiness,  even  when 
crude  self-examinations  fail  to  discover  the  delightful 
transformation.  No  impatience  will  accelerate  the 
unfolding  of  flower  or  soul,  it  can  only  retard.  Nor 
let  us  be  impatient  with  the  circumstances  which  dis- 
cipline character;  God  knows  best  how  long  the  gold 
ought  to  remain  in  the  furnace,  how  long  the  jewel 
must  suffer  the  grinding  of  the  wheel. 

We  become  weary  waiting  for  the  renewal  of  the 
world.  Yet  the  kingdom  of  God  is  coming,  however 
deeply  sometimes  its  development  may  be  veiled. 
Nature  moves  slowly,  advancing  by  hairs'-breadths, 
augmenting  by  the  scruple.  If  we  had  lived  on  this 
earth  from  its  very  beginning  until  now,  we  should 
have  thought  it  standing  still,  so  tardy  its  action  and 
minute  the  individual  result;  but  if  we  recall  the 
geological  age  when  not  a  plant  was  on  the  earth,  and 
then  compare  that  barren  epoch  with  the  modern  world 
blushing  like  a  rainbow  with  ten  thousand  flowers,  it  is 
patent  after  all  that  the  development  of  the  planet  has 
gone  on  unrestingly,  however  silently  and  deliberately. 


THE     TYRANNY     OF     TIME      45 

It  is  the  same  with  the  history  of  civiHzation.  Had  we 
Hved  through  the  long  ages  since  man  first  appeared 
on  the  earth  until  now  we  should  have  thought  him 
ever  standing  still,  so  gradual  and  insignificant  have 
been  the  successive  changes  and  transformations  of 
which  he  has  been  the  subject ;  but  compare  the  flint 
instruments,  the  rude  vessels,  and  the  grotesque  deco- 
rations of  a  primitive  kitchen  midden,  with  the  splendid 
treasures  of  an  International  Exhibition,  and  the  prog- 
ress is  as  indisputable  as  it  is  glorious.  So  with  the 
spiritual  development  of  the  race ;  we  cannot  mark 
the  steps  of  its  onward  march,  but  the  moral  barbarism 
of  the  ages  by  fine  degrees,  which  escape  our  eye, 
passes  into  the  pure  splendour  of  the  millennial  world. 
"What  is  to  last  for  ever  takes  a  long  time  to  grow." 

We  must  be  struck  with  the  spirit  of  patience  dis- 
played everywhere  in  the  New  Testament.  The 
patience  of  our  Lord  is  remarkable.  Isaiah  prophesied 
of  Him :  "He  shall  not  fail  nor  be  discouraged,  till  He 
have  set  judgment  in  the  earth :  and  the  isles  shall 
wait  for  His  law."  Nothing  is  more  wonderful  than 
the  serenity  of  our  Lord  in  the  prosecution  of  His 
great  mission.  His  zeal  was  a  flaming  fire,  and  His 
desire  to  see  the  travail  of  His  soul  in  the  establish- 
ment of  His  kingdom  of  universal  righteousness  and 
peace  was  intense,  with  an  intensity  into  which  we 
cannot  enter ;  but  the  calmness  with  which  He  carried 
out  His  purpose  was  that  of  the  measured  and  majestic 
movements  of  nature.  Never  flurried  nor  betrayed 
into  the  agitation  of  hurry,  but  whilst  kindling  with 
sublime  and  mighty  enthusiasm  He  proceeded  to  fulfil 
His  destiny  without  haste  and  without  pause.     The 


46      THE    TYRANNY    OF    TIME 

same  spirit  of  tranquil  confidence  animated  the  apos- 
tles. "Strengthened  with  all  might,  according  to  His 
glorious  power,  unto  all  patience  and  long-suffering 
with  joyfulness."  Because  they  exulted  in  glorious 
power  they  were  patient  and  long-suffering. 

In  these  days  of  feverishness  and  haste  our  eye  is 
too  much  on  the  clock.  Rae,  writing  of  The  White 
Sea  Peninsula,  alleges  that  in  all  the  hundreds  of 
Russian  peasants'  huts,  cottages,  and  houses  that  he 
visited  every  one  had  a  clock,  yet  he  saw  only  one 
going.  Wise  people !  It  is  well  to  remember  that  we  are 
children  of  time;  but  the  agitation  and  tension  of 
watching  the  clock  are  not  good  for  us  in  any  sense, 
least  of  all  in  relation  to  spiritual  things.  Let  us  do 
our  duty,  and  do  it  with  confidence.  When  the  Duke 
of  Wellington  saw  a  painting  of  Waterloo  which  rep- 
resented him  sitting  on  horseback  with  a  watch  in  his 
hand  anxiously  scanning  the  hour,  the  great  soldier 
ridiculed  the  picture,  declared  the  posture  false,  and 
told  the  artist  to  paint  the  watch  out.  No  battle  is 
won  with  a  watch  in  our  palm.  The  victory  over  our 
own  nature,  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world, 
are  gained  in  patient  faith  and  endeavour.  The  vic- 
tory of  Christ,  and  the  setting  up  of  His  kingdom  over 
all  the  earth,  will  be  achieved,  not  as  against  time,  but 
in  quietness  and  confidence. 


XI 
SUBCONSCIOUSNESS 

Their  inward  thought  is. — Ps.  xlix.  ii. 

YES,  this  is  what  we  want  to  get  at — our  real 
spirit,  belief,  sympathy,  purpose — that  which 
lies  hidden  in  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  soul. 
Modem  thinkers  are  much  interested  in  what  is  known 
as  the  Philosophy  of  the  Unconscious.  They  maintain 
that  in  our  bodily  organism  distinct  wills  and  ideas 
exist  of  which  our  higher  consciousness  is  uncon- 
scious. And  not  only  so,  but  distinct  mental  elements 
and  processes  exist  which  do  not  report  themselves  in 
the  higher  consciousness.  Below  consciousness  is  a 
dim  realm  of  obscure  ideas,  reasonings,  impulses,  and 
purposes — a  realm  which  by  the  great  majority  of  men 
is  almost  entirely  unsuspected.  And  this  nebulous 
region  is  not  confined  to  our  psychic  and  intellectual 
nature,  it  also  underlies  and  seriously  influences  moral 
and  spiritual  life.  In  the  text  the  psalmist  glances  at 
this  dark,  inchoate  deep  where  seethes  the  stuflf  of 
which  character  and  destiny  are  ultimately  made. 

"Their  inward  thought."  That  is  not  the  thought 
we  express  to  those  about  us ;  the  idea  of  the  psalmist 
is  that  the  outer  life  is  another  thing  to  the  thought. 
Our  talk  ignores  it,  or  sophistically  misrepresents  it. 
If  ever  telepathy  becomes  a  science  and  thought-read- 

47 


48  SUBSCONSIOUSNESS 

ing  a  fact,  they  will  disclose  unpleasant  contradictions 
between  the  inward  thought  and  the  profession.  But — 
and  this  is  of  yet  greater  consequence — the  inward 
thought  is  not  merely  undivulged,  it  often  remains 
obscure  and  unavowed  to  those  who  cherish  and  obey 
it.  The  real  wish  and  passion  lie  like  guilty  secrets  in 
subterranean  chambers  rarely  visited ;  occasionally  the 
bull's-eye  exposes  for  a  moment  the  foolish,  vile,  or 
vulgar  imagining  hidden  there ;  but,  as  a  rule,  our 
eyes  are  averted  from  that  which  will  not  bear  think- 
ing about. 

Is  not  envy  the  worm  in  the  bud?  We  should  be 
ashamed  to  confess  that  the  secret  of  our  severe 
strictures  on  some  we  criticize  is  this  base  canker  of 
envy  :  indeed,  it  is  by  no  means  clear  to  us  that  jealousy 
does  discolour  our  judgments,  when  it  is  a  fact,  never- 
theless. Is  not  ambition  at  the  bottom  of  our  action? 
We  cunningly  persuade  ourselves  that  we  are  actuated 
simply  by  sincere  motives,  whilst  the  "inward  thought" 
cowering  in  the  dark  corner  dreams  only  of  personal 
aggrandizement.  Is  not  malice  from  time  to  time  the 
chief  factor  in  our  hostility  to  our  fellows?  We  dare 
not  formulate  to  ourselves  the  mean  motive,  it  is 
speciously  disguised,  yet  rancour  is  of  its  essence.  Is 
not  the  inner  thought  covetousness  ?  A  selfish,  miserly 
soul  alone  explains  our  conduct;  but  we  elude  the 
truth,  never  once  permitting  expression  in  conscious- 
ness or  speech  of  the  sordid  passion  which  governs  us. 
Is  not  the  inner  thought  sensual?  We  delicately  veil 
the  animating  appetite,  yet  the  core  is  rottenness.  The 
sleight  of  hand  and  cunning  craftiness  by  which  we 
deceive  others  are  clumsy  trickery  compared  with  the 


SUBCONSCIOUSNESS  49 

deft  conjuring  by  which  we  deceive  ourselves.  We 
shrink  from  giving  expression  to  the  "inward 
thought" ;  it  is  too  impoHtic,  preposterous,  disgraceful. 
South  has  a  famous  sermon,  "On  the  Fatal  Force  of 
Words" ;  but  there  is  also  a  saving  force  in  words,  and 
when  impulses,  moods,  and  inclinations  are  brought 
up  from  the  underworld  into  the  daylight  and  frankly 
interpreted,  it  is  a  great  gain.  We  are,  however,  not 
courageous  enough  to  define  and  disavow  the  vague 
thing,  and  so  it  continues  to  lurk  with  "the  shadows  of 
the  caverns  of  man's  mind." 

Yet  the  unspoken,  unrealized  thought  is  the  most 
potent  factor  in  character;  the  real  belief  and  motive 
determine  and  mould  life.  A  French  naturalist  has 
recently  shown  that  the  invisible  morphological  char- 
acters of  plants  and  animals  are  more  influential  in 
deciding  the  future  of  the  species  to  which  they  belong 
than  the  visible  characters  are.  What  the  microscope 
searches  out  means  more  to  the  future  of  the  flower 
or  creature  than  do  its  obvious  characteristics.  And 
we  may  truly  say  that  the  secret  things  of  the  human 
heart  are  more  fateful  than  anything  appearing  on  the 
surface.  The  hidden  sympathies  of  the  soul  silently 
yet  masterfully  sway  the  whole  course  of  life. 

(What  is  described  as  probably  the  largest  meteorite 
known  in  the  world,  recently  arrived  in  New  York. 
It  was  brought  from  the  coast  of  Greenland  by  Lieu- 
tenant Peary.  On  the  cruise  home  the  presence  of  this 
magnetic  iron  in  the  hold  of  the  ship  afifected  the  com- 
pass, and  whenever  there  was  bad  weather  and  the 
mariners  had  to  depend  on  dead  reckoning  they  could 
not  keep  their  course.     So  the  "inward  thought"  in 


50  SUBSCONSIOUSNESS 

the  depths  of  the  personality  imparts  a  bias  to  the 
mind,  confuses  the  judgment,  cajoles  the  conscience, 
paralyses  the  will,  and  makes  the  life  to  swerve  from 
the  line  of  godliness  and  righteousness.  The  first  stage 
in  all  eccentricity  of  character  and  irregularity  of  life 
is  this  secret  inward  leaning. 

Remember  that  God  knows  "the  inward  thought," 
and  judges  it,  and  us  by  it.  "Thus  saith  the  Lord; 
Thus  have  ye  said,  O  house  of  Israel ;  for  I  know  the 
things  that  come  into  your  mind,  every  one  of  them." 
He  sees  us  as  we  sit  "each  one  in  the  chambers  of  his 
imagery."  "He  knoweth  our  thought  afar  ofif,"  in  its 
remote,  embryonic  conception.  Let  us  deal  with  our- 
selves in  the  secret  places  of  fancy  and  desire.  The 
wish  behind  the  thought,  the  inclination  behind  the 
resolve,  the  unconscious  intention,  the  secret,  cherished 
affinities  out  of  which  all  dubious  actions  and  courses 
of  life  spring — these  origins  and  breeding-places  of 
character  and  action  call  for  searching  and  candid 
oversight  and  discipline.  We  must  carry  the  illuminat- 
ing, purifying  process  right  back  here.  "Behold,  Thou 
desirest  truth  in  the  inward  parts :  and  in  the  hidden 
part  Thou  shalt  make  me  to  know  wisdom." 


XII 
THE  DIVINE  PROTESTATION 

Have  I  any  pleasure  at  all  that  the  wicked  should  die?  saith 
the  Lord  God;  and  not  that^  he  should  return  front  his  ways, 
and  live? — Ezek.  xxviii.  23. 

OUR  conception  of  God  is  most  influential.  If 
we  know  Him  as  "a  hard  man,"  it  means  one 
thing;  if  we  recognize  Him  as  equitable  and 
generous,  it  means  another,  and  a  very  different  thing. 
The  one  entails  bondage  of  mind,  discouragement, 
paralysis ;  the  other  is  a  precious  inspiration.  The 
whole  argument  of  Ezekiel  is  designed  to  set  forth 
God  as  just  and  generous;  not  condemning  the  son  for 
the  sin  of  his  father,  but  dealing  with  each  according 
to  his  own  conduct,  and  even  after  he  has  sinned  of 
opening  a  way  of  recovery. 

I.  The  constitution  of  the  world  gives  its  sanction 
to  the  text.  Nature  does  not  invite  us  to  destroy  our- 
selves. Certainly  poisonous  elements  may  be  extracted 
from  the  plants  which  grow  about  us.  From  the  laurel 
we  may  distil  prussic  acid,  from  the  gay  poppy  derive 
opium  and  laudanum;  the  juice  of  the  hemlock  is 
deadly ;  decoctions  of  various  herbs  torment  and  de- 
stroy ;  and  some  plants  are  immediately  and  wholly 
fatal.  Yet  this  is  not  the  prevailing  character  of 
vegetation.     One  of  the  ancient  kings  who  took  to 

51 


E%  THE   DIVINE   PROTESTATION 

gardening  filled  his  grounds  with  poisonous  plants; 
but  the  aspect  of  nature  does  not  suggest  that  its 
Creator  was  animated  by  that  sinister  spirit.  Nature  is 
not  a  devil's  paradise.  The  commons  are  not  covered 
with  a  venomous  sward,  our  gardens  are  not  planted 
with  poison  flowers,  nor  are  the  forests  thick  with 
upas-trees.  If  we  so  resolve,  we  can  find  opium  and 
strychnine;  but  leagues  of  green  grass,  orchards  full 
of  odorous  blossom,  millions  of  lilies,  carnations,  and 
roses,  tell  only  of  sweetness,  health,  and  gladness,  and 
of  the  loving  spirit  and  purpose  of  Him  who  created 
all  these  things.  Nature  is  on  the  side  of  righteous- 
ness and  life.  George  Sand  thus  addresses  a  corre- 
spondent: "Nature,  you  think,  fixes  the  limits  herself, 
and  prevents  us  from  indulgence  in  excess.  Ah !  but 
no,  she  is  not  wiser  than  we  who  are  part  of  herself." 
Nature  is  wiser.  We  are  not  part  of  nature  :  if  we  were 
we  should  not  be  guilty  of  excess ;  the  foolish  intem- 
perance by  which  we  destroy  ourselves  has  no  place  in 
nature.  We  possess  faculties  which  differentiate  us 
from  nature  and  raise  us  above  it,  and  the  misuse  of 
these  faculties  degrades  us  below  the  beasts  which 
perish.  If  we  recognize  and  obey  the  great  laws  of 
truth  and  beauty  which  are  the  laws  of  nature,  we  shall 
live  and  not  perish.  "I  have  no  pleasure  at  all  in  the 
death  of  the  sinner"  is  written  in  letters  of  glory  on 
nature's  front.  He  who  inspired  the  Mosaic  legisla- 
tion— "When  thou  buildest  a  new  house  thou  shalt 
make  a  battlement  for  thy  roof,  that  thou  bring  not 
blood  upon  thine  house  if  any  man  fall  from  thence" — 
first  observed  the  humane  law  in  the  building  of  the 
world. 


THE  DIVINE  PROTESTATION  53 

2.  The  constitution  of  society  declares  the  divine 
graciousness.  The  mistaken  reasoners  in  Ezekiel's 
day  argued  that  the  law  which  bound  man  to  man, 
one  generation  to  another,  was  a  cardinal  source  of 
human  misery.  The  fathers  having  eaten  sour  grapes, 
the  children's  teeth  were  set  on  edge.  Yet  it  is  clear 
enough  that  the  social  law  was  designed  for  our  welfare 
and  not  our  loss.  A  party  of  Alpine  climbers  is  usually 
roped  together,  and  this  arrangement  sometimes  in- 
volves its  common  destruction;  yet  the  design  of  the 
expedient  is  manifestly  benevolent,  for  on  the  whole 
the  mutual  attachment  is  helpful  and  protective  to  the 
climbers,  steadying  them  in  dangerous  moments  and 
giving  them  a  general  sense  of  safety.  It  is  much  the 
same  with  tbe  social  law.  The  bands  which  bind  us 
together  may  prove  disastrous — the  father  dragging 
down  the  son,  the  husband  the  wife,  the  son  the  house- 
hold, one  friend  another.  But  the  obvious  design  of 
the  law  was  the  common  good  and  salvation.  Our 
mutual  bonds — civic  links  of  steel,  friendship's  jewel- 
beaded  cords  of  silk,  love's  threads  of  gold — are 
so  fashioned  that  we  may  steady  and  strengthen  one 
another  in  scaling  the  difficult  slopes  of  progress,  and 
that  we  may  together  reach  the  crystal  heights  and 
blue  heavens  of  individual  and  social  perfection.  The 
tender  yet  tenacious  ties  binding  us  into  brotherhood 
eloquently  declare  that  God  loves  us  and  ever  'contem- 
plates our  safety  and  delight.  And  Ezekiel  is  strong 
in  his  assurance  that,  whatever  evils  the  social  law  may 
entail  in  this  life,  it  is  never  permitted  to  drag  souls 
into  the  abyss.  "The  more,  the  merrier,"  is  a  familiar 
but  true  description  of  the  social  law.    "As  I  live,  saith 


54  THE   DIVINE   PROTESTATION 

the  Lord  God,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  misery  and 
damnation  of  men" ;  and  the  divine  asseveration  is 
gloriously  borne  out  as  we  see  Him  setting  the  solitary 
"in  solemn  troops  and  sweet  societies,"  that  he  may 
know  the  immunity  and  inspiration  of  brotherhood. 

3.  The  constitution  of  our  own  nature  demonstrates 
the  beningnity  of  the  divine  purpose.  The  fundamental 
and  essential  instincts,  faculties,  and  forces  of  our 
nature  are  on  the  side  of  righteousness  and  life :  our 
reason  is,  our  conscience  and  nobler  affections  are. 
Danger  there  is,  and  ever  must  be,  where  freedom  is; 
but  everything  jconsonant  with  liberty  has  been  done 
to  safeguard  us.  The  miner  must  descend  the  shaft, 
and  work  where  the  insidious  fire-damp  may  reach 
him ;  yet  science  provides  him  with  a  safety-lamp,  and 
before  entering  the  pit  legislation  locks  the  lamp  lest 
unwittingly  he  should  expose  himself  to  peril.  If,  then, 
the  collier  carries  a  private  key  and  unlocks  the  lamp 
to  light  his  pipe,  perishing  miserably  in  an  awful 
explosion,  the  fault  is  altogether  his  own.  Is  not  this 
a  parable  of  our  human  nature  and  situation?  What 
is  the  conscience  but  the  candle  of  the  Lord  declaring 
the  perilous  thing,  place,  or  hour?  And  what  are 
reason  and  the  nobler  instincts  but  safeguards  of  the 
divine  light?  We  must  do  violence  to  ourselves,  as  a 
rule  immense  and  repeated  violence,  before  we  destroy 
ourselves.  "Let  no  man  say  when  he  is  tempted,  I  am 
tempted  of  God."  It  is  writ  large  over  all  our  structure 
and  spirit  that  God  willeth  not  the  death  of  a  sinner. 

4.  The  graciousness  of  divine  providence  furnishes 
impressive  proof  of  the  saving  design.  In  Catherine 
Furze  occurs  this  passage :  "Destiny  delights  in  offer- 


THE  DIVINE  PROTESTATION  55 

ing  to  the  wicked  chances  of  damning-  themselves." 
If  by  "destiny"  is  meant  nature,  providence,  or  God, 
nothing  can  be  more  untrue.  The  fact  is  the  direct 
opposite.  We  can  find  abundant  opportunities  to  ruin 
ourselves  if  we  are  intent  upon  doing  so;  but  we  must 
seek  or  make  opportunity,  it  is  not  thrust  upon  us.  To 
charge  nature  or  life  with  delighting  in  offering  to  us 
chances  of  damning  ourselves  is  as  incorrect  as  to 
affirm  that  London  Bridge  delights  in  offering  to 
passengers  the  chance  of  drowning  themselves.  If 
drunk  or  mad,  they  may  drown  themselves ;  but  they 
must  leave  the  path  and  climb  the  parapet :  it  is  pal- 
pable that  the  thoroughfare  was  constructed  for  con- 
venience and  safety,  and  not  to  solicit  suicide.  Human 
life  is  not  arranged  on  the  principle  of  giving  us  plenty 
of  opportunities  to  damn  ourselves.  It  is  surprising 
how  rare  temptation  is  whilst  we  live  a  normal  life, 
intent  only  on  work  and  duty.  "Lead  us  not  into 
temptation."  Graciously  and  wonderfully  is  that 
prayer  answered,  and  the  poor  helpless  creature  hidden 
from  the  dread  occasion. 

5.  The  whole  system  of  revelation  and  redemption 
is  the  final  and  overwhelming  proof  of  the  divine  grace. 
"For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He  gave  His  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  Him  should 
not  perish  but  have  eternal  life."  "As  I  live,  saith  the 
Lord  God,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the 
wicked."  The  Cross  of  Christ  is  the  embodied  oath 
of  the  Almighty,  and  it  ought  to  banish  unbelief  and 
fear  from  every  guilty  breast. 


XIII 
SPECIOUS    SIN 

There  is  a  zvay  which  seemeth  right  unto  a  man,  but  the 
end  thereof  are  the  ways  of  death. — Prov.  xiv.  12. 

AWAY    seemingly    straight,    but    really    fatal"; 

/\  "the  beginning  of  the  way  is  straight,  the  end 
jL  jL  of  it  is  death."  The  figure  is  that  of  a  jour- 
ney, in  which  the  traveller  imagines  that  he  is  pursuing 
a  straight  path  that  will  lead  him  to  his  desired  goal 
of  success  and  happiness,  but  finds,  too  late,  that  it 
leads  to  ruin.  The  thought  of  the  proverb  is  the  illu- 
sive character  of  the  godless  and  immoral  life. 

When  impiety  and  wickedness  are  disguised  by 
decorum  and  taste,  it  is  easy  to  mistake  the  false  path 
for  the  true.  Guilty  lives  are  worked  out  on  very 
different  lines.  The  wickedness  of  some  is  vulgar  and 
ghastly  in  the  extreme :  no  effort  is  made  to  disguise 
or  soften  it;  it  is  bad  in  form  as  in  essence;  it  imme- 
diately disgusts  all  right-thinking  people.  There  is 
the  less  danger  that  such  a  course  should  be  mistaken 
for  the  right  one.  But  it  is  altogether  different  with 
others  whose  life  is  equally  in  the  wrong.  Whatever 
these  may  do  is  marked  by  decency,  everything  is  in 
good  taste,  they  are  even  dainty  and  elegant,  their 
haunts  and  habits  are  invariably  refined;  they  may 

56 


SPECIOUS     SIN  57 

forget  God  and  His  law,  but  they  never  forget  that 
they  are  gentlemen.  Yet  the  result  is  identical ;  the 
two  courses,  so  superficially  unlike,  are  inevitably  and 
similarly  disastrous.  Whether  worked  out  with  refine- 
ment, or  flaunted  in  ways  impudent  and  offensive — 
selfishness,  licentiousness,  or  worldliness  equally  de- 
stroys the  soul.  In  tropical  forests  trees  grow  whose 
branches  are  infested  with  parasitic  growths,  some  of 
which  blossom  into  gorgeous  flowers,  whilst  others 
develop  loathsome  fungi  and  cankers ;  yet,  flowers  or 
cankers,  both  live  upon  the  vitality  of  the  tree  and 
equally  destroy  it. 

So  there  are  transgressors  whose  mode  of  life  is 
exempt  from  all  grossness — sometimes,  indeed,  their 
manners  are  even  brilliant  and  fascinating;  whilst  the 
excesses  of  others  are  wholly  coarse  and  brutal :  but, 
aesthetic  or  revolting,  unrighteousness  is  equally  fatal 
to  character  and  destiny.  Society  is  little  ruffled  by 
the  polite  or  brilliant  wickedness  which  matches  the 
mistletoe  or  orchid,  whilst  'it  indignantly  resents  con- 
duct suggestive  of  the  sickly  fungi ;  but  He  who  knows 
all  the  secret  working  of  disobedience  on  the  mind  and 
character  of  the  transgressor  realizes  full  well  that  sin, 
whether  decorous  or  vulgar,  is  in  essence  one,  and  that 
the  common  issue  is  death.  The  couch  of  impurity  is 
not  less  leprous  because  of  its  spices ;  the  virus  of 
malice  is  not  attenuated  when  it  distils  from  the  lips 
like  honey;  a  lie  loses  nothing  of  its  malign  quality 
when  uttered  in  dainty  speech  or  written  on  scented 
paper ;  selfishness  mindful  of  ceremony  blights  as  when 
brutally  frank ;  the  grace  of  the  thief  does  not  redeem 
the  infamy  of  his  dishonesty ;  and  intemperance  veiled 


58  SPECIOUS    SIN 

with  discretions  kills  as  certainly  as  the  excess  of  the 
gutter.  Sin  loses  nothing  of  its  virulence  by  losing  its 
grossness. 

When  truth  and  righteousness  are  cunningly 
blended  with  error  and  vice  we  may  easily  be  deceived. 
In  a  goldsmith's  window  in  one  of  our  cities  may  be 
read  this  notice,  "Artificial  gems  set  in  real  gold." 
This  advertisement  expresses  one  of  the  most  serious 
perils  of  human  life — the  close  and  confusing  associa- 
tion of  truth  and  error,  good  and  evil,  godli- 
ness and  hypocrisy.  To  deal  with  what  is  wholly 
erroneous  and  evil  requires  little  discernment,  and 
involves  less  peril ;  but  false  gems  set  in  pure  gold 
are  the  masterpieces  of  temptation.  Bad  doctrine 
vindicated  in  real  eloquence;  immoral  principles  dis- 
guised in  splendid  poetry;  licentious  life  glorified  in 
masterly  fiction;  selfishness  enforced  by  philosophical 
maxims;  equivocal  courses  sanctioned  by  brilliant 
names;  sensual  pleasures  gilded  by  aesthetic  refine- 
ments; ungodliness  linked  with  love  and  friendship; 
and  base  policy  justified  by  Scripture — these,  with 
similar  admixtures  and  associations,  are  among  the 
subtlest  perils  of  life,  and  they  especially  abound  in 
modern  life.  It  is  exactly  here,  where  evil  is  mixed 
with  good,  and  where  it  is  thus  made  to  wear  innocent 
and  seductive  aspects,  that  the  soul  stands  in  special 
jeopardy.  During  the  past  year  or  two  there  has  been 
an  extraordinary  crop  of  Alpine  accidents,  and  in 
several  instances  these  arose  from  a  disregard  of  the 
dangers  of  a  grass  slope.  The  inexperienced  moun- 
taineer thinks  that  a  grass  slope  must  be  safe,  and, 
setting  his  foot  on  the  inviting  green,  discovers  that  it 


SPECIOUS     SIN  69 

is  every  bit  as  dangerous  as  the  ice,  if  it  be  steep  and 
terminate  in  a  precipice.  The  short  Alpine  grass  is 
remarkably  slippery,  and  many  a  tourist  who  has  safely 
negotiated  rock  and  glacier  has  fallen  a  victim  to  the 
treacherous  slope  where  the  verdant  patch  and  moun- 
tain flower  tempt  the  climber.  We  are  comparatively 
safe  when  a  thing  is  nakedly  evil  and  a  situation  con- 
fessedly dangerous ;  but  the  pure  gold  reconciles  us  to 
the  spurious  gem,  and  the  green  slope,  with  an  edel- 
weiss at  the  top  and  a  precipice  at  the  bottom,  lures  us 
to  our  doom. 

We  may  easily  be  deceived  by  the  glamour  with 
which  evil  is  frequently  invested.  Imagination, 
passion,  fashion,  often  wonderfully  transform  and 
glorify  forbidden  things.  In  South  America  and  else- 
where are  mountain  ranges  distinguished  by  extraor- 
dinary colouring.  If  an  immense  quantity  of  scarlet, 
vermilion,  and  yellow  ochre  paint  were  made  to  gush 
over  the  rocks^  it  could  not  produce  a  more  brilliant 
depth  of  colouring  than  nature  has  spontaneously 
created.  They  are  known  as  "The  Painted  Rocks," 
because  they  are  decorated  by  reds,  purples,  greens, 
and  yellows  in  marvellous  mixtures.  But  these  moun- 
tains have  nothing  except  their  brilliant  colouration. 
Scarcely  a  lichen  or  moss  grows  on  their  surface,  and 
the  precious  metals  are  never  found  in  them.  This 
curious  aspect  of  nature  is  exactly  representative  of 
many  of  the  evil  things,  places,  and  practices  which 
abound  in  human  society  and  life;  they  are  seductive 
to  the  imagination,  whilst  utterly  worthless  and  dis- 
appointing. Carmel  with  its  flowers,  Lebanon  with 
its  cedars,  or  Hermon  with  its  snows,  is  gloomy  and 


60  SPECIOUS    SIN 

disappointing  compared  with  the  gaudy  hues  of  the 
glowing  slopes  up  which  the  devil  lures  his  victims. 
"The  dark  mountains"  of  obvious  and  cruel  evil  are 
less  dangerous  than  these  mounts  of  satanic  trans- 
figuration. 

We  shall  be  led  into  the  right  path  if  we  are  perfectly 
sincere  and  serious,  vigilant  and  willing  to  make  every 
sacrifice  that  truth  may  require  at  our  hands.  The 
Spirit  of  God  waits  to  teach,  guide,  and  save  us — to 
give  us  real  gems  set  in  pure  gold,  to  bring  us  into 
green  pastures  which  have  no  precipices.  Are  we 
willing  to  follow  the  royal  path  ? 


XIV 
THE  FORLORN  RESCUE 

Scarcely  saved. — i  Peter  iv.  18. 

MARK  RUTHERFORD,  in  one  of  his  books, 
indulges  in  this  just  reflection :  "Do  not 
those  of  us  who  have  been  mercifully  pre- 
vented from  damning  ourselves  before  the  whole 
world,  who  have  succeeded  and  triumphed — do  we  not 
know,  know  as  we  hardly  know  anything  else,  that  our 
success  and  our  triumph  were  due  to  superiority  in 
strength  by  just  a  grain,  no  more,  of  our  better  self 
over  the  raging  rebellion  beneath  it?  It  was  just  a 
tremble  of  the  tongue  of  the  balance;  it  might  have 
gone  this  way,  or  it  might  have  gone  the  other,  but  by 
God's  grace  is  was  this  way  settled — God's  grace,  as 
surely,  in  some  form  of  words,  everybody  must  ac- 
knowledge it  to  have  been."  He  who  does  not  feel 
the  truth  of  this  reflection  cannot  have  marked  very 
Carefully  his  experience,  and  he  is  one  who  stands  in 
special  peril.  The  righteous  are  vividly  conscious 
of  the  fact  that  more  than  once  they  escaped  by  a  hair's 
breadth.  Such  are  the  weakness  and  folly  of  human 
nature  that  our  salvation  is  rendered  possible  only  in 
the  infinite  power  and  grace  of  God, 

The  evolutionist  knows  that  in  the  great  struggle 

61 


62        THE    FORLORN    RESCUE 

of  nature  competitive  forms  are  so  evenly  balanced 
against  each  other  that  the  slightest  advantage  deter- 
mines the  successful  plant  or  animal.  Darwin's  words 
are  these :  "A  grain  in  the  balance  may  determine 
which  individuals  shall  live  and  which  shall  die ;  which 
variety  or  species  shall  increase  in  number,  and  which 
shall  decrease  or  finally  become  extinct."  "A  grain  in 
the  balance."  Very  astonishing  is  the  vast  part  that 
the  grain  plays  in  deciding  the  mighty  fortunes  of 
nature.  It  has  been  said  somewhat  reproachfully  that 
the  modern  mind  is  "drunk  with  the  microscope" ;  but 
careful  experiment  shows  that  he  who  does  not  know 
the  little  does  not  know  the  much,  that  "man's  biggest 
organs  are  his  atoms,"  and  that  in  nature  generally 
the  minute  is  almighty :  "the  retired  sphere  of  leasts" 
turns  out  the  sovereign  sphere.  The  presence  or  ab- 
sence of  the  grain  in  the  balance  is  equally  decisive  in 
society.  That  which  determines  between  the  success- 
ful and  the  unsuccessful,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the 
famous  and  the  forgotten,  is  often  singularly  insignifi- 
cant— a  mere  particle.  So  the  moral  triumph  of  man 
repeatedly  seems  due  to  superiority  in  strength  by  just 
a  degree,  only  that.  "Scarcely  saved."  The  saint  of 
fairest  reputation  is  humble,  knowing  how  nearly  he 
escaped  failure ;  he  is  full  of  charity  for  the  fallen, 
because  he  feelingly  remembers  how  his  own  feet  were 
almost  gone  and  his  steps  had  wellnigh  slipped. 

The  special  lesson  we  would  now  enforce  is  the 
immense  importance  of  any  gain  whatever  in  the 
religious  life.  Many  Christian  people  do  not  appre- 
ciate this  fact,  and  accordingly  despise  the  minute 
accessions   of   light   and    strength   secured   by   daily 


THE     FORLORN     RESCUE        63 

study,  vigilance,  and  effort.  Because  our  increase  in 
knowledge  and  energy  is  so  slight  as  to  be  impercepti- 
ble, we  neglect  the  opportunities  which  promise  so 
little.  If  we  received  sudden  and  splendid  bursts  of 
light,  if  our  character  blazed  out  in  memorable  trans- 
figurations, if  our  work  straightway  bore  a  hundred- 
fold, we  should  be  satisfied ;  but  the  atomic  increment, 
the  slight  happy  variation  in  our  experience,  and  added 
grain  or  cell  of  life  and  force,  are  lightly  esteemed. 
It  is  a  mistake.  The  minute  gain  of  daily  faithfulness 
is  in  its  significance  immense.  The  naturalist  tells  us 
that  some  flowers  are  curiously  sensitive  to  a  single 
degree  of  cold  more  or  less ;  let  the  thermometer  drop 
just  half  a  degree  too  much,  and  the  glories  shrivel 
up  black  and  dead  as  though  they  had  passed  through 
a  furnace.  The  fatal  "half-degree"  is  the  thing  to 
escape  or  withstand.  What  havoc  will  the  half-degree 
of  intensified  trouble  and  temptation  work  in  the 
experience  of  the  weak !  On  the  contrary,  how  blessed 
are  those  who,  a  little  stronger,  can  successfully  defy 
heightened  trial!  Truth,  a  trifle  more  clearly  dis- 
cerned ;  faith,  enhanced  as  by  a  grain  of  mustard  seed ; 
love,  clinging  by  an  added  tendril ;  and  hope,  the 
anchor  of  the  soul,  somewhat  more  surely  biting  the 
solid  ground,  mean  much  in  the  history  of  a  soul. 

Let  us  take  to  heart  the  fact  that  the  working  out 
of  our  salvation  is  a  serious  thing,  attended  by  infinite 
difficulty.  We  are  familiar  with  peril  in  our  natural 
life.  The  fury  and  lightning  of  the  storm,  the  dangers 
of  the  sea,  the  chances  of  war,  the  perils  of  the  mine, 
the  risks  of  locomotion,  the  snares  of  machinery,  the 
threatenings  of  fire,  violence  and  epidemic,  with  many 


64        THE    FORLORN    RESCUE 

other  sources  and  agents  of  destruction,  beset  our 
path,  and  only  by  constant  circumspection  do  we 
escape,  if  we  escape  at  all.  There  is  far  more  tension 
of  awareness  in  our  natural  life  than  at  first  appears. 
Yet  the  peril  of  the  soul  is  certainly  not  less ;  and  the 
best  are  conscious  that  they  have  nothing  of  which  to 
boast.  Whilst  we  believe  we  are  compelled  to  plead. 
"Lord,  I  believe;  help  Thou  mine  unbelief."  The 
dread  occasion  of  temptation  leaves  us  humbled  by 
the  knowledge  that  we  were  saved  yet  so  as  by  fire. 
The  recurrent  sense  of  personal  frailty  feelingly  re- 
minds us  of  the  jeopardy  in  which  we  walk.  The  stress 
of  trial,  sorrow,  and  mystery  perpetually  extorts  the 
cry,  "Save,  Lord,  or  we  perish."  A  commentator  is 
well  within  the  truth  who  declares :  "That  any  single 
believer  comes  off  at  last  victorious  against  so  great 
apparent  odds  is  to  be  accounted  for  only  on  the  prin- 
ciple that  what  with  men  is  impossible  is  possible  with 
God."  The  most  thrilling  rescues  of  fire-ladder  or 
lifeboat  are  dull  metaphors  of  the  wonderful  deliver- 
ances of  the  soul  from  sin  and  hell.  Heaven  must 
have  held  its  breath  several  times  over  the  best  of  us. 
Let  us,  then,  take  care  that  henceforth  we  put  our 
whole  soul  into  the  work  of  its  own  salvation :  despis- 
ing nothing,  neglecting  nothing.  There  is  no  telling 
in  our  spiritual  life  with  what  vast  consequences 
microscopic  gains  are  fraught,  or  what  tragedies  the 
lack  of  those  gains  may  entail.  The  atom  becomes  a 
spiritual  rock  which  guarantees  our  salvation ;  the 
grain  turns  in  our  favour  the  balances  of  eternity. 

Oh,  the  little  more,  and  how  much  it  is! 
And  the  little  less,  and  what  worlds  away! 


XV 

SECULAR  WEAPONS  IN  THE 
SPIRITUAL  WAR 

BeaS,  your  plowshares  into  swords,  and  your  pruning-hooks 
Mto  spears;  let  the  weak  say,  I  am  strong. — Joel  iii.  lo. 

WE  are  always  disposed  to  think  that  what- 
ever is  wonderful,  delightful,  or  specially 
efficient  is  a  long  way  off  and  very  hard  of 
attainment,  when  all  the  time  it  is  not  improbably  close 
to  us,  a  familiar  association.  Last  summer  several 
fatal  accidents  were  reported  from  the  Alps  occasioned 
by  the  gathering  of  edelweiss.  People  suppose  that 
it  is  a  rare  and  valuable  plant  flourishing  only  in  inac- 
cessible places,  and  near  to  the  snow-line ;  whereas 
naturalists  assure  us  that  it  is  one  of  the  easiest  raised 
plants  that  exist :  it  can  be  readily  grown  in  a  London 
back  garden,  a  penny  packet  of  seed  constituting  the 
whole  of  the  necessary  outfit.  So  the  mountain  flower 
is  stripped  of  romance;  or,  to  speak  more  accurately, 
the  glamour  of  the  Swiss  hills  is  transferred  to  a 
London  back  garden.  The  greatest  possibilities  are 
close  at  hand,  latent  in  things  familiar  and  common- 
place, or  working  unsuspectedly  in  the  ordinary  inci- 
dents and  experience  of  everyday  life.  Our  text  sug- 
gests an  illustration  of  this.     In  the  plowshare  and 

65 


66     WEAPONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  WAR 

pruning-hook  are  potential  weapons  of  victory,  and  in 
the  simple  rustic  a  hero.  What  we  now  wish  to  note 
is  the  marvellous  power  of  salvation  that  dwells  in 
common  things  and  duties. 

When  we  consider  the  methods  by  which  we  are,  or 
may  be,  defended  from  temptation,  we  think  chiefly  of 
a  mystic  armour  of  light,   of  a  supernatural  hedge 
planted  about  us,  of  celestial  horses  of  fire  and  chariots 
of  fire ;  and  we  are  apt  to  forget  to  what  a  large  extent 
the  grace  of  God  acts  through  familiar  things  and 
relations,   and  that,   duly   sanctified,  the  weapons  of 
moral  victory  are  the  commonplace  tools  already  in 
our  hands.     Sir  Oliver  Lodge  recently  wrote  thus: 
"It   may   surely   without   unorthodoxy   be   held   that 
there  are  two  ways  of  overcoming  sin  and  sinful  ten- 
dencies— one  the  direct  way,  of  concentrating  attention 
on  them  by  brooding  and  lamentation;  the  other,  the 
indirect  and,  as  I  think,  the  safer  and  more  efficacious 
and  altogether  more  profitable  way  of  putting  in  so 
many  hours'  work  per  day,  and  of  excluding  weeds 
from  the  garden  by  energetic  cultivation  of  healthy 
plants."    We  may  not  neglect  the  sighings  of  a  contrite 
heart,     or     ignore     the     supernatural     grace     which 
strengthens  penitent  men;  but  we  need  to  remember 
also  the  indirect  defence  and  blessing  of  daily  sancti- 
fied human  duty.    Do  not  envy  or  expect  the  ordnance 
of   Milton's   war   in   heaven ;   plowshares   supply  en- 
chanted blades,  pruning-hooks,  ethereal  spears,  and  the 
magic  panoply  in  which  the  good  fight  is  best  waged 
is   the   unadorned   but   consecrated   paraphernalia   of 
ordinary  human  life. 
What  a  source  of  moral  salvation  is  the  home!    That 


WEAPONS  IN  SPIRITUAL  WAR         67 

our  house  is  our  "castle"  is  a  familiar  boast;  yet  it  is 
far  more  of  a  castle  than  we  sometimes  think.  Home 
life  properly  hallowed  is  a  citadel  of  the  soul,  a  maga- 
zine of  martial  resources  against  the  spiritual  war.  It 
is  a  mainstay  of  Mansoul  amid  beleaguering  hosts  of 
darkness.  Drinking  at  its  pure  fountain,  we  lose  our 
taste  for  stolen  waters.  Its  simplicity  and  purity  are 
charms  against  a  garish  world.  Its  exquisite  relation- 
ships call  forth  the  noblest  qualities  of  the  soul.  Its 
unity  is  strength  for  good.  Its  joys  and  sorrows  im- 
part a  brightness  and  tenderness  which  are  a  glory  to 
our  nature,  and  upon  the  glory  a  defence.  Whenever 
we  think  of  "the  whole  armour  of  God,"  let  us  remem- 
ber that  the  domestic  institution  is  a  very  considerable 
and  precious  piece  of  it.  The  home  is  a  royal  fortress. 
The  hearthstone  a  rampart.  The  fender  a  brazen 
wall.  Its  pots  and  pans,  helmets  and  greaves  of  brass. 
Its  decorations,  the  sheen  of  polished  arrows.  Its 
utilities,  bows  and  slings  and  coats  of  mail.  "They 
hanged  their  shields  upon  thy  walls  round  about ;  they 
have  made  thy  beauty  perfect."  Who  can  justly  esti- 
mate the  moral  efficacy  of  the  home  altar,  of  its  round 
table,  of  its  little  library,  of  its  sacred  grave!  With- 
out war-paint,  and  with  the  very  least  of  the  pomp 
and  circumstance  of  glorious  war,  the  weakest  amongst 
us  in  the  consecrated  domestic  armoury  may  boast,  "I 
am  strong." 

What  a  safeguard  is  work!  The  tendency  of  legiti- 
mate business,  pursued  in  the  right  spirit,  is  to  foster 
what  is  best  in  our  heart  and  life.  To  a  certain  extent 
work  is  good  because  it  occupies  the  time  and  engages 
the  mind.    All  the  world  is  alive  to  that  terrible  peril 


68     WEAPONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  WAR 

of  mischief  which  besets  the  vacant  mind  and  empty 
hands.  One  of  the  current  reviews  writing  on  "The 
City  of  Enchantments,"  proceeds :  "In  Naples  and  its 
enchanting  environs,  the  softness  of  the  cHmate  and 
the  richness  of  the  soil  have  been  the  curses  of  an  indo- 
lent and  superstitious  people.  .  .  .  The  women 
do  the  work ;  the  men  loaf  about  their  orange-gardens, 
lounge  over  their  nets,  or  sleep  away  the  hours  of  the 
sunshine.  .  .  .  It  is  a  melancholy  look-out,  and 
the  dry  rot  of  inveterate  indolence  seems  inherent  in 
the  race." 

Moreover,  work  is  good,  not  merely  because  it 
occupies  time,  but  also  as  it  tends  to  secure  the  sanity 
and  health  of  the  soul.  It  keeps  us  in  touch  with 
reality,  and  thus  excludes  the  subjectivity  and  senti- 
mentality which  constitute  the  medium  of  temptation; 
it  brings  with  it  a  sense  of  obligation  and  restraint 
which  is  always  salutary;  and  in  manifold  ways  occu- 
pation is  a  discipline  and  tonic  to  the  whole  being. 
The  unhealthiest  trade  is  less  dangerous  than  no  task 
at  all.  Dr.  Stiles,  an  eminent  scientist  of  the  United 
States  Agricultural  Department,  claims  to  have  discov- 
ered "the  germ  of  laziness,"  which  he  declares  is  chiefly 
responsible  for  the  abnormal  laziness  existing  among 
the  poor  white  people  in  some  of  the  Southern  States. 
Alas  !  this  malady  has  spread  far  beyond  the  poor  whites 
of  the  Southern  States ;  its  victims  abound  everywhere, 
and  truly  deplorable  are  its  consequences.  "The  germ 
of  laziness"  is  one  of  the  very  worst  of  the  species ; 
it  generates  endless  mischief,  it  is  at  the  root  of 
many  of  the  mighty  evils  which  afflict  society,  and 
the  doctor  will  indeed  prove  a  benefactor  to  humanity 


WEAPONS  IN  THE  SPIRITUAL  WAR     69 

if  he   can   discover  an   anti-toxin   for   this   pestilent 
microbe. 

We  are  often  impressed,  when  visiting  an  arsenal 
or  military  exhibition,  with  the  display  of  firearms, 
swords,  lances,  and  bayonets,  of  ominous  mitrailleuse 
and  mortar,  shot  and  shell ;  whilst  we  forget  the  un- 
rivalled power  and  virtue  of  the  humble  instruments 
of  industry  which  are  in  the  hands  of  the  million.  The 
scythe,  spade,  crowbar,  axe  and  hammer,  trowel,  yard- 
stick, weights  and  measures,  and  a  thousand  other 
implements  of  common  industry  are  mighty  weapons 
of  a  glorious  war ;  for  with  these  tools  of  toil  we  rout 
alien  armies  of  vice  and  folly.  Work  is  apt  to  be  a 
rough  friend ;  yet  we  have  no  truer  friend,  nor  one 
more  really  helpful.  Working  clothes  worthily  worn 
are  as  heroic  as  khaki,  and  the  daily  victories  won  in 
shirt  sleeves  are  not  less  significant  than  those  of 
warriors  with  garments  rolled  in  blood.  If  we  would 
be  safe  from  the  assaults  of  evil,  we  must  sanctify  and 
improve  the  common  relations,  duties,  and  diversions 
of  life,  and  we  shall  forge  out  of  them  shield  and 
helmet,  sword  and  breastplate.  The  ninth  verse  of 
this  chapter  gives  a  rousing  summons :  "Prepare  war." 
The  original  signifies  hallozv  zvar,  that  is,  make  it  holy. 
Let  "Holiness  unto  the  Lord"  be  written  on  the  bells 
of  the  horses,  and  the  pots  in  the  Lord's  house  be  like 
the  bowls  before  the  altar,  and  we  shall  be  safe  from 
the  fear  of  evil. 


XVI 

THE  UNNATURALNESS  OF 
MORAL  SURRENDER 

Moreover,  thou  shalf  say  unto  them,  Thus  sdlth  the  Lord; 
Shall  they  fall,  and  not  arise?  shall  he  turn  away,  and  not 
return  f — ^Jer.  viii.  4. 

THAT  the  difficulties  of  return  to  a  better  life 
are  real  and  formidable  must  be  frankly 
owned.  In  losing  ground  spiritually  and 
morally  we  place  ourselves  at  a  great  disadvantage; 
what  is  easily  lost  is  recovered  painfully.  Difficulties 
which  arise  both  within  and  without  are  to  be  reckoned 
with. 

Difficulties  arise  within  the  backsliding  soul  itself 
which  are  not  easily  overcome.  As  Drummond  points 
out,  "The  penalty  of  backsliding  is  not  something 
vague  and  arbitrary,  but  the  consequences  are  already 
marked  within  the  structure  of  the  soul.  The  punish- 
ment of  degeneration  is  the  atrophy  of  the  spiritual 
nature.  It  is  well  known  that  the  recovery  of  the  back- 
slider is  one  of  the  hardest  problems  in  spiritual  work. 
To  reinvigorate  an  old  organ  seems  more  difficult  and 
hopeless  than  to  develop  a  new  one;  and  the  back- 
slider's terrible  lot  is  to  have  to  retrace  with  enfeebled 
feet  each  step  of  the  way  along  which  he  strayed." 

70 


MORAL  SURRENDER  UNNATURAL  71 

jWe  must  be  careful  how  we  press  the  analogy  between 
physiological  and  spiritual  degeneration,  for  serious 
physical  degeneration  never  takes  place  in  the  lifetime 
of  an  individual,  but  only  in  a  considerable  series  of 
generations ;  yet  it  is  alarming  to  contemplate  the  swift 
degeneration  of  a  soul,  to  mark  how  soon  it  loses  vision, 
strength,  sensibility,  aspiration,  and  hope.  The  injury 
that  the  moral  nature  sustains  through  a  lapse  is  to  its 
immense  prejudice;  to  climb  steep  and  slippery  slopes 
is  ever  sufficiently  arduous,  but  to  attempt  those  slopes 
with  injured  sight  and  shattered  limbs  is  an  exag- 
gerated and  disheartening  task.  The  process  of  physi- 
cal recovery  is  usually  trying,  and  frequently  peculiarly 
painful.  Ordinary  convalescence  is  full  of  uneasiness, 
the  sense  of  weakness  and  suffering  being  most  acute 
as  the  returning  forces  of  life  slowly  seize  successive 
points  of  the  citadel  so  nearly  lost.  The  restoration  of 
those  who  narrowly  escape  drowning  is  accompanied 
by  intense  agony.  Physical  weariness  and  torture 
are  repeated  yet  more  vividly  in  the  sorrow  of  fallen 
souls  fighting  towards  life.  "And  having  cried  out, 
and  torn  him  much,  he  came  out :  and  the  child  became 
as  one  dead ;  insomuch  that  the  more  part  said,  he  is 
dead.  But  Jesus  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  raised 
him  up;  and  he  arose."  Thus  bitter  is  the  ejection  of 
demons.  The  most  pathetic  and  tremendous  tragedies 
are  witnessed  in  secret  places  where  penitent  souls 
wrestle  in  tears  and  blood  with  the  evil  passions  and 
habits  which  have  fastened  upon  them. 

Difficulties  are  created  without,  as  well  as  within, 
by  backsliding.  Society  makes  it  easy  for  a  man  to 
sink  and   very  painful   for  him   to   return.     And   if 


72   MORAL  SURRENDER  UNNATURAL 

society  puts  no  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  the 
repentant  sinner,  his  own  conduct  has  created  for 
himself  miserable  entanglements  which  require  the 
utmost  resolution  to  shake  off.  In  the  biography  of 
Louis  Agassiz  occurs  a  striking  account  of  his  descent 
into  the  heart  of  a  glacier.  He  was  lowered  by  his 
assistants  to  a  great  depth  in  the  ice,  each  foot  of  the 
descent  being  attended  by  peril ;  if,  however,  the 
descent  was  dangerous,  the  ascent  was  even  more  so, 
for  the  well  was  filled  with  large  icicles,  which  pointing 
downward  presented  no  obstacle  in  his  descent,  but 
now  as  the  adventurer  looked  up  the  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  of  blue  ice,  the  sharp  and  dangerous 
points  of  hundreds  of  these  javelins  threatened  to  cut 
the  rope  or  fall  upon  him.  The  ascent  of  the  soul  to 
the  coign  of  vantage  lost  is  usually  similarly  discourage 
aging.  The  difficulty  of  the  position  is  only  under- 
stood when  return  is  contemplated.  Yes,  it  is 
ever  a  serious  thing  to  fall  away  from  faith  and 
righteousness. 

Yet  let  the  great  truth  be  laid  to  heart  by  the  un- 
happy backslider  that  such  recovery  is  possible. 

There  is  in  nature  what  physicists  call  a  power  of 
repair,  an  inherent  power  in  an  injured  part  to  restore 
itself.  Sir  James  Paget  writes :  "The  power  of  repair 
is  not  confined  to  living  things.  Broken  crystals  can 
repair  themselves  as  well  as,  e.g.,  broken  bones.  Wher- 
ever we  find  evidence  of  an  end  or  design  to  be  ful- 
filled in  the  attainment  or  maintenance  of  a  definite 
form,  there  also  we  may  find  evidence  of  some  power 
to  repair  the  injuries  which  that  form  may  sustain 
from  forces  external  to  itself."    Does  not  the  text  seem 


MORAL  SURRENDER  UNNATURAL     73 

to  point  to  this  law  of  recovery  active  in  the  very  con- 
stitution of  things?  "Shall  they  fall,  and  not  arise? 
shall  he  turn  away,  and  not  return?"  It  is  natural  to 
seek  to  repair  any  injury  that  we  suffer;  it  is  unnat- 
ural to  surrender  ourselves  to  the  forces  of  disinte- 
gration and  destruction. 

There  is  also  within  the  soul  itself  an  instinct  of 
hope  which  the  greatest  disaster  can  hardly  extinguish. 
The  doctrines  of  metempsychosis  and  of  purgatory, 
in  the  opinion  of  some,  show  the  natural  unwillingness 
of  men  to  believe  in  final  defeat  and  failure.  Hope 
springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast.  Picturing  the 
conduct  of  men  during  an  awful  storm  at  sea,  Victor 
Hugo  observes :  ""By  degrees,  however,  they  began  to 
hope  again.  Such  are  the  unsubmergible  mirages  of 
the  soul !  There  is  no  distress  so  complete  but  that  even 
in  the  most  critical  moments  the  inexplicable  sunrise 
of  hope  is  seen  in  its  depths."  The  text  is  an  appeal 
to  this  very  instinct.  "Shall  they  fall,  and  not  arise? 
shall  he  turn  away,  and  not  return?"  Is  it  not  a 
natural  instinct  that,  if  one  stumbles,  he  attempts  to 
rise  again?  if  one  wanders,  he  seeks  to  return  to  the 
point  whence  he  departed?  God  appeals  to  that  in- 
stinct of  recovery,  that  temper  of  hope,  which  He  has 
established  deep  in  the  heart.  However  abjectly  we 
sink,  that  bit  of  blue,  that  gilt  of  a  star,  that  fainting 
halo  of  the  sunset  which  yet  lingers  in  the  guiltiest 
soul,  assures  us  that  God  has  not  forgotten  to  be 
gracious,  and  prompts  us  to  penitence  and  faith,  to 
hope  and  effort. 

But,  above  all,  how  clear  and  full  is  the  testimony 
of  revelation  to  the  possibility  of  the  soul's  recovery! 


74      MORAL  SURRENDER  UNNATURAL 

The  Old  Testament  abounds  with  tender  appeals  to 
God's  backsliding  people.  "Who  gathereth  the  out- 
casts of  Israel."  Our  Lord's  treatment  of  Peter  settled 
for  all  time  the  attitude  of  the  New  Testament  to  the 
prodigal  son. 


XVII 
THE  CITY:  ITS  SIN  AND  SAVIOUR 

The  great  city,  zuhich  spiritually  is  called  Sodom  and  Egypt, 
where  also  our  Lord  was  crucified. — Rev.  xi.  8. 

THE  fact  that  our  Lord  was  crucified  nigh  unto 
the  sacred  city  is  a  suggestive  fact  we  shall 
do  well  to  ponder, 

I.  The  sinfulness  of  the  city.  "Which  spiritually  is 
called  Sodom  and  Egypt." 

Not  that  the  obscenity  and  visible  horror  of  Sodom 
were  features  of  Jerusalem,  but  the  sacred  city  re- 
sembled Sodom  in  its  internal  and  vicious  condition. 
Isaiah  brought  this  accusation  against  his  nation : 
"Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord,  ye  rulers  of  Sodom ;  give 
ear  unto  the  law  of  our  God,  ye  people  of  Gomorrah." 
And  again:  "They  declare  their  sin  as  Sodom;  they 
hide  it  not."  Centuries  later  the  impeachment  is  re- 
peated in  our  text.  "The  great  city  which  spiritually 
is  called  Sodom."  The  special  sins  of  Sodom  are  noted 
by  Ezekiel  (xvi.  49) .  Pride,  lust  of  the  flesh,  luxurious- 
ness,  "neither  did  she  strengthen  the  hand  of  the  poor 
and  needy."  Our  Lord  showed  clearly  the  moral 
rottenness  of  the  sacred  city  of  His  day. 

"Which  spiritually  is  called  Egypt."  Egypt  was  the 
land  of  slavery  and  persecution,  and  Israel  had  spir- 

75 


76       THE  CITY :  ITS  SIN  AND  SAVIOUR 

itually  taken  the  place  of  Egypt,  reproduced  the  char- 
acteristics of  Egypt.  The  prophet  Hosea  utters  the 
divine  malediction :  "They  sacrifice  flesh  for  the  sacri- 
fices of  Mine  offerings,  and  eat  it;  but  the  Lord 
accepteth  them  not:  now  v>^ill  He  remember  their 
iniquity,  and  visit  their  sins;  they  shall  return  to 
Egypt."  That  was  exactly  what  happened  to  them; 
they  did  not  return  to  the  geographical  Egypt,  but 
spiritually  they  did  so.  They  became  the  bondslaves 
of  selfishness,  pride,  greed,  and  unmercifulness.  As 
our  Lord  showed  when  they  boasted  of  freedom,  they 
were  abject  slaves  of  unrighteousness.  And  as  the 
Egyptians  persecuted  the  people  of  God,  modern  Jeru- 
salem played  the  role  of  the  ancient  tyrants,  killing 
prophets  and  righteous  men,  and  finally  consummating 
their  wickedness  by  crucifying  the  Messiah.  Jesus 
Christ  found  Israel  full  of  idols  and  slaves ;  the  priests 
were  taskmasters,  and  Pharoah  sat  on  the  chief  seat  of 
the  synagogue.  That  the  great  city  was  "spiritually" 
called  Sodom  and  Egypt  does  not  mean  that  it  was  in 
any  sense  better  than  those  accursed  places;  it  means 
that  the  Jews  were  worse  than  the  heathen,  and  that 
the  Jerusalem  which  crucified  our  Lord  was  filled  with 
corruptions  more  intense  and  abominable  than  the 
iniquity  of  Sodom  or  Egypt.  It  is  quite  possible  for 
evil  to  lose  its  revolting  expression  whilst  its  actuality 
is  untouched  and  its  virus  is  increased  tenfold. 

The  point  specially  to  be  observed  is,  that  Jerusalem 
had  become  thus  infamous  through  the  abuse  of 
religious  privilege.  It  was  a  religious  city  that  was 
spiritually  called  Sodom  and  Egypt;  perverted 
religious  opportunity  made  it  pre-eminent  in  iniquity 


THE  CITY:  ITS  SIN  AND  SAVIOUR     77 

and  retribution.  It  was  not  Thebes,  Babylon,  Athens, 
nor  Rome  that  reached  supreme  wickedness,  but  Jeru- 
salem. Solemn  truth  to  be  laid  to  heart  by  us  mod- 
erns! Jerusalem,  with  its  mighty  corruptions  ending 
in  unparalleled  tragedy,  could  not  have  become  what 
it  was,  could  not  have  suffered  what  it  did,  had  it  not 
been  for  its  vast  advantages  of  light  and  blessing. 
Tyndall,  writing  on  The  Forms  of  Water,  remarks: 
"Curious  then  as  the  conclusion  may  be,  the  cold  ice 
of  the  Alps  has  its  origin  in  the  heat  of  the  sun."  By 
one  set  of  conditions  the  sun  calls  forth  the  leaves  of 
grass,  the  blossoms  of  the  garden,  the  charm  of  flowers, 
the  glory  of  the  corn,  and  paints  with  emerald,  purple, 
and  gold  the  palm,  the  vine,  and  the  orange;  but 
through  another  set  of  conditions  it  causes  snow  and 
ice,  and  becomes  the  architect  of  the  awful  avalanches 
and  glaciers  of  the  Alps. 

It  is  thus  with  religious  truth  and  privilege.  Ac- 
cepted and  improved,  the  light  and  grace  of  Heaven 
enrich  with  all  glorious  things;  but  resisted  and  mis- 
used, the  light  that  is  in  us  becomes  darkness,  our 
worst  passions  are  evoked,  the  most  terrible  possi- 
bilities of  our  nature  are  revealed,  our  sins  and  iniqui- 
ties swell  to  the  skies  in  ghastly  pinnacles  of  defiance. 
If  the  sun  of  righteousness  does  not  create  tropics  of 
moral  beauty,  brightness,  and  blessing,  it  must,  when 
denied  and  abused,  create  poles  of  unrighteousness 
whose  blackness  and  horror  are  like  hell.  It  took 
ages  of  privilege — temple,  lawgivers,  prophets,  psalm- 
ists, oracles  of  God,  and  lastly  the  presence  of  our 
Lord  Himself — to  make  possible  the  glaring  scarlet  of 
Jerusalem's  consummated  sin. 


78       THE  CITY :  ITS  SIN  AND  SAVIOUR 

f  All  evils  come  to  their  worst  in  great  cities;  the 
evils  exist  in  petty  forms  and  inconspicuous  colours 
in  rustic  scenes,  but  the  wealth,  liberty,  numbers,  and 
rivalry  of  a  great  city  bring  them  out  broadly  and 
luridly.  It  is  a  forcing-bed  where  every  vice  attains 
abnormal  growth.  And  when  the  benign  influences  of 
religion  are  rejected,  the  wickedness  is  in  the  same 
proportion  aggravated.  It  is  urged  as  a  proof  of  the 
inefficiency  of  Christianity  that  the  sin  and  misery  of 
our  great  cities  are  greater  than  that  of  the  pagan  and 
savage.  That  the  sin  and  misery  of  the  Christian  civi- 
lization are  greater  than  that  of  heathen  lands  we  are 
ready  to  admit,  but  this  is  no  proof  of  the  inefficacy 
of  Christianity.  Christianity  proves  its  virtue  by  mak- 
ing most  noble  those  who  welcome  it;  and,  on  the 
negative  side,  its  virtue  is  vindicated  in  the  bitterer 
iniquities  and  wretchedness  of  those  who  reject  its 
mercy  and  grace.  To  degenerate  needs  vital  power; 
and  wherever  religious  force  is  not  allowed  to  express 
itself  in  forms  of  health  and  beauty,  it  demonstrates 
itself  in  intensified  disease  and  hideousness.  "Sodom 
and  Egypt,  where  also  our  Lord  was  crucified."  Such 
-V-    is  the  penalty  of  high  privilege  wickedly  abused. 

2.  The  Saviour  of  the  city.  "Where  also  our  Lord 
was  crucified."  Christ  crucified  is  the  one  antidote 
for  the  city's  wickedness  and  woe,  even  when  that  city 
is  Jerusalem.  This  Book  of  the  Revelation  pictures  a 
city  of  jasper  and  pearl,  of  gold  and  crystal,  a  city 
burning  with  splendour  and  brimmii'g  with  felicity. 
What  does  this  metropolis  of  gold  and  glory  signify? 
The  ideal  city ;  what  cities  ought  to  be,  what  God 
means  them  to  be.    The  civic  capitals  are  to  be  made 


THE  CITY:  ITS  SIN  AND  SAVIOUR     79 

after  the  jewelled  pattern  shown  in  the  mount  called 
Patmos;  glorious  in  holiness,  transfigured  by  truth 
streaming  through  all  their  garniture,  raised  into  the 
music  of  perfect  harmony,  and  satisfied  with  a  fullness 
of  felicity  that  knows  no  end.  What,  then,  is  the 
process  by  which  communities  are  to  be  reconstructed, 
what  the  secret  of  their  ultimate  transfiguration  and 
blessedness?  Will  this  be  brought  about  by  civic 
ingenuity,  by  political  reform,  by  industrial  pro- 
grammes, by  social  adjustments,  by  economics,  litera- 
ture, science,  art,  music?  Not  so,  but  primarily  and 
concurrently  by  the  gospel  of  the  Crucified.  The  ideal 
city  is  "the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife."  "The  lamp 
thereof  is  the  Lamb."  In  the  twelve  foundations  are 
the  twelve  names  of  the  "apostles  of  the  Lamb."  "The 
Lord  God  the  Almighty,  and  the  Lamb,  are  the  tem- 
ple thereof."  They  only  become  its  citizens  "which 
are  written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life."  And  their 
eternal  refreshment  and  joy  is  "a  river  of  water  of 
life,  bright  as  crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of 
God  and  of  the  Lamb." 

We  are  not  going  to  cleanse,  enlighten,  uplift  and 
idealize  our  cities  without  God;  and  then  it  will  only 
be  through  God  as  He  has  been  pleased  to  reveal  Him- 
self in  His  redeeming  Son.  Every  sin  that  blasts  the 
city  is  condemned  in  the  Cross ;  every  inspiration  that 
saves  it  flows  from  the  Cross.  Calvary  testifies  to  the 
everlasting  righteousness  of  God,  to  His  mercy  to  the 
penitent,  to  His  sympathy  and  grace  with  up- 
struggling  humanity.  It  is  the  centre  of  holiness  and 
mercy,  of  power  and  hope,  of  present  and  eternal  sal- 
vation.   Only  in  the  Cross  do  we  get  at  the  root  of  the 


80       THE  CITY :  ITS  SIN  AND  SAVIOUR 

mischief;  only  there  do  we  find  the  essential  blessing. 
God  is  in  Christ  crucified,  reconciling  the  world  unto 
Himself ;  and  only  as  sinners  find  their  way  to  the  foot 
of  the  Cross  are  Babylon,  Sodom,  and  Egypt  trans- 
formed into  the  City  of  God.  "And  he  carried  me 
away  in  the  Spirit  to  a  great  and  high  mountain,  and 
showed  me  that  great  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem,  de- 
scending out  of  heaven  from  God." 


XVIII 
THE  MORAL  OF  THE  EMPTY  GRAVE 

Fear  not  ye;  for  1  know  that  ye  seek  Jesus,  which  hath 
been  crucified.  He  is  not  here;  for  He  is  risen,  even  as  He 
said. — Matt,  xxviii.  S,  6. 

A  DISTINGUISHED  representative  of  science 
recently  exhorted  the  rehgious  world  to  rest 
.its  doctrines  and  hopes  on  the  facts  of  nature 
and  consciousness,  and  not  on  "an  empty  grave."  But 
surely  the  facts  of  history  also  furnish  a  valid  source 
of  illumination  and  a  secure  basis  of  faith,  and  espe- 
cially when  such  facts  interpret  the  facts  of  nature 
and  consciousness.  The  empty  grave  of  our  Lord  is 
the  best  attested  fact  of  antiquity,  and  is  to  the  whole 
race  of  immense  significance.  What  it  meant  to  the 
first  generation  of  Christians  is  readily  seen  in  the 
Epistles  of  the  New  Testament.  St.  Paul  makes  very 
clear  what  he  thought  of  our  Lord's  resurrection ;  he 
is  content  to  rest  the  whole  vast  superstructure  of  the 
new  faith  on  that  empty  grave.  "For  if  the  dead  are 
not  raised,  neither  hath  Christ  been  raised ;  and  if 
Christ  hath  not  been  raised,  your  faith  is  vain :  ye  are 
yet  in  your  sins." 

If  we  desire  to  learn  what  the  immediately  follow- 
ing generations  of  Christians  thought  of  the  fact  and 
promise  of  our  Lord's  resurrection,  the  catacombs  will 

81 


82    THE  MORAL  OF  THE  EMPTY  GRAVE 

teach  us.  There  pathetic  testimonies  abound  to  the 
consolatory  truth  that  after  the  great  Shepherd  of  the 
sheep  had  tasted  the  sharpness  of  death  He  rose  from 
the  grave  and  opened  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  all 
believers.  The  glorious  army  of  martyrs  felt  the  power 
of  Christ's  resurrection,  and  found  in  it  the  secret  of 
their  triumph.  Through  the  Christian  centuries  that 
empty  grave  has  been  the  window  into  heaven.  And 
if  any  one  would  understand  what  the  resurrection  of 
our  Lord  means  to-day  to  the  great  host  of  dying  men, 
let  him  visit  the  cemetery,  and  thousands  of  epitaphs 
testify  that  the  sleepers  sleep  in  peace  because  that 
empty  grave  throws  the  sweet  light  of  hope  on  their 
resting-place.  The  hope  of  immortality  is  an  instinct 
of  the  race ;  it  is  the  vivifier  of  life ;  it  reconciles  us  to 
the  dust  and  ashes  which  end  all  human  glory ;  and  its 
supreme  proof  and  symbol  is  the  empty  grave  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

We  speak  of  "empty  space,"  and  perhaps  think 
lightly  of  it;  we  can  respect  space  occupied  by  sun, 
moon,  or  star,  but  to  speak  of  empty  space  seems  like 
speaking  of  nothing,  the  absolute  negation.  The  man 
of  science,  however,  does  not  think  thus.  He  knows 
that  empty  space  is  full  of  essential  substance,  of 
primal  forces,  of  atmospheres  and  ethers  without  which 
there  could  not  be  life  and  light,  music  and  beauty,  and 
the  ten  thousand  ornaments  and  delights  of  our  planet. 
The  earth  with  all  its  opulence  and  splendour  arose 
out  of  empty  space;  it  was  not  made  of  things  which 
do  appear.  Beware  when  you  speak  of  empty  space ! 
Empty  space  is  crammed  with  reality.  It  is  much  the 
same  when  one  speaks  lightly  of  the  "empty  grave"  of 


THE  MORAL  OF  THE  EMPTY  GRAVE     83 

our  Lord :  it  is  charged  with  vital  elements,  sovereign 
forces,  glorious  possibilities.  History  shows  that  all 
down  the  ages  it  has  been  the  primal  source  of  power, 
purity,  consolation,  and  blessedness.  Because  our 
Lord's  grave  is  empty,  therefore  is  it  the  fountain  of 
eternal  energy  and  victory.  As  this  round  globe  and 
all  that  it  inherits  arose  out  of  empty  space,  so  has 
Christendom  arisen  out  of  the  empty  grave  of  our 
Lord. 

What,  then,  is  the  immortality  that  on  this  day  our 
Lord  brought  to  light? 

It  is  personal.  Philosophers  and  poets  of  a  certain 
school  think  to  satisfy  our  craving  for  immortality  by 
assuring  us  that  in  death  we  shall  melt  into  "the  infinite 
azure,"  and  live  henceforth  in  the  life  of  nature.  De- 
livered from  the  crippling  limitations  of  mortality  we 
shall  be  transfused  into  the  rainbow,  share  the  pulsa- 
tions of  the  sea,  mingle  with  the  fragrance  of  flowers, 
glow  in  the  light  of  setting  suns,  sparkle  in  the  stars. 
How  eloquently  Shelley  dilates  on  the  pantheistic 
creed !  But  the  empty  grave  of  our  Lord  reminds  us 
that  in  perfected  personality  we  enter  upon  our  great 
inheritance.  There  is  no  scattering  of  the  soul  in  the 
air,  no  melting  in  the  infinite  azure,  but  as  a  being  with 
consciousness,  knowledge,  will,  and  affection,  do  I 
live  beyond  and  live  for  ever.  Christ  came  into 
the  world  to  assure  us  of  the  fact  and  inviolability 
of  personality  as  standing  out  from  the  universe;  and 
His  empty  grave  is  the  sign  that  upon  our  personality 
death  has  no  power,  but  in  the  distinction  and  fullness 
of  our  faculty  do  we  enter  into  glory. 

It  is  individual.    It  is  not  the  immortality  of  patriot- 


84    THE  MORAL  OF  THE  EMPTY  GRAVE 

ism.  The  hope  of  living  in  the  future  of  one's  nation 
is  not  the  Christian  hope.  The  Old  Testament  fur- 
nishes little  direct  and  explicit  teaching  on  immor- 
tality, as  we  conceive  it.  Then  the  individual  largely 
forgot  himself  in  the  collective  unity  of  his  people ; 
when  the  Hebrew  thought  of  his  great  future,  he  rec- 
ognized himself  in  the  collective  unity  of  his  people ; 
when  the  Hebrew  thought  of  his  great  future, 
he  recognized  himself  in  the  persistence  of 
Israel.  Very  similarly  the  Greek  and  Roman  specu- 
lated on  the  future;  their  aspiration  for  immortality 
was  satisfied  as  they  felt  themselves  identified  with 
the  splendour  and  permanence  of  their  nation.  This 
is  not,  however,  the  immortality  pledged  in  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ. 

Nor  is  the  Christian  immortality  that  of  positivism. 
Transcending  the  ideal  of  national  futurity,  positivism 
strives  to  satisfy  us  with  the  hope  that  we  shall  sur- 
vive in  the  life  of  humanity.  Corporate  immortality 
involves  a  great  truth  which  the  sacred  writers  recog- 
nized long  before  Comte,  but  it  does  not  supersede  the 
fact  and  glory  of  that  individual  immortality  which 
Easter  Day  pledges.  Just  as  the  modern  telescope 
tends  to  break  up  the  Milky  Way,  and  to  resolve  its 
undistinguished  light  into  individual  orbs ;  so  Chris- 
tianity defines  the  vague  splendour  of  nationality  and 
humanity,  showing  that  the  humblest  soul  is  like  a 
star  and  dwells  apart. 

It  is  moral.  Some  have  been  tempted  to  think  that 
immortality  is  bound  up  with  intellectual  power  and 
merit,  but  the  whole  significance  of  the  resurrection 
of  our  Lord  is  moral.    If  we  are  to  share  in  the  glory 


THE  MORAL  OF  THE  EMPTY  GRAVE     85 

of  His  ascended  life,  we  must  know  the  power  of  our 
Lord's  resurrection  raising  us  from  the  death  of  sin 
to  the  Hfe  of  righteousness.  In  the  New  Testament 
immortality  is  never  treated  as  a  philosophical  ques- 
tion, but  always  as  a  moral  one.  Moral  resurrection 
is  the  condition  of  everlasting  life  and  blessedness. 
The  spirit  of  holiness  is  the  secret  of  glorious  resurrec- 
tion. If  we  are  one  day  with  joy  to  survey  our  empty 
tomb,  it  will  be  because  He  who  is  the  resurrection  and 
the  life  first  brought  our  soul  into  the  liberty  of  the 
glory  of  His  dear  children.  "Then  shall  come  to  pass 
the  saying  that  is  written,  Death  is  swallowed  up  in 
victory." 


XIX 
PROGRESSIVE  REVELATION 

That  the  God  of  our  Lord  Icsus  Christ,  the  Father  of  glory, 
may  give  unto  you  a  spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation  in  the 
knowledge  of  Him;  having  the  eyes  of  your  heart  enlightened, 
that  ye  may  know  what  is  the  hope  of  His  calling,  what  the 
riches  of  the  glory  of  His  inheritance  in  the  saints,  and  what 
the  exceeding  greatness  of  His  power  to  uszvard  who  be- 
lieve.— Eph.  i.  17-19. 

)4  T  Easter  time  the  greatest  mysteries  of  redemp- 
h-^^  tion  occupy  our  thought,  and  every  sincere 
X  JL  soul  must  then  be  found  in  the  attitude  of  the 
angels  who  "desire  to  look  into  these  things."  We  are 
conscious  that  the  great  facts  of  redemption  go  far 
beyond  us,  that  we  have  not  sounded  their  depths,  that 
they  contain  a  wealth  of  light  and  blessing  in  which  we 
have  not  entered.  What  lengths  and  breadths  and 
depths  and  heights  are  in  this  very  chapter  before  us ! 
The  apostle  "prays  that  the  Ephesians  may  have 
supernatural  light  shed  upon  the  gold  of  their  super- 
natural wealth." 

It  is  our  great  privilege  to  grow  in  clearness  of 
understanding,  beholding  with  more  open  vision  the 
beauty  and  preciousness  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 
The  first  light  that  falls  upon  our  spiritual  under- 
standing is  marvellous  light;  but  whilst  we  continue 

86 


PROGRESSIVE  REVELATION  87 

obedient  unto  the  heavenly  vision,  it  v^ill  shine  ever 
more  brightly.  In  the  lower  world  of  animal  life  we 
find  that  creatures  can  receive  wonderful  accessions 
of  seeing  power.  The  caterpillar  has  a  simple  organ 
of  vision  only,  but  in  the  butterfly  that  simple  organ 
has  developed  into  a  compound  faceted  eye  with  per- 
haps more  than  twenty  thousand  lenses.  Are  we  not 
justified  in  taking  this  wonderful  enhancement  of  sight 
in  the  lower  stages  of  life  as  a  rude  prophecy  of  the 
larger  virtue  of  vision  latent  in  the  soul,  of  the  larger 
revelations  of  the  divine  mind  and  purpose  reserved 
for  the  eyes  of  angels  and  men  ?  The  vision  of  a  faith- 
ful soul  grows  in  comprehensiveness  and  penetration, 
realizing  with  infinite  delight  the  great  and  beautiful 
doctrines  of  the  spiritual  universe.  It  is  true,  alas! 
that  some  Christians  do  not  seem  to  grow  in  insight 
and  wisdom;  they  do  not  attain  to  the  sylph-like  per- 
fection, but  to  the  end  abide  old  caterpillars.  "Of 
whom  we  have  many  things  to  say,  and  hard  of  inter- 
pretation, seeing  ye  are  become  dull  of  hearing.  For 
when  by  reason  of  the  time  ye  ought  to  be  teachers,  ye 
have  need  again  that  some  one  teach  you  the  rudiments 
of  the  first  principles  of  the  oracles  of  God."  The 
design  of  God  is  that  we  should  with  maturing  years 
see  more  of  Him  who  dwells  in  the  thick  darkness ; 
that  we  should  apprehend  more  adoringly  the  Divine 
Son  of  His  love ;  that  the  incarnation  of  our  Lord,  His 
atoning  death,  and  His  resurrection  from  the  dead 
should  grow  upon  us,  yielding  their  secrets,  and  mould- 
ing us  irresistibly. 

The  biographer  of  the  late  Dr.  Dale,  of  Birming- 
ham, says  of  him  :  "He  lived  under  the  benignant  sway 


88  PROGRESSIVE   REVELATION 

of  a  succession  of  great  truths,  following  one  another 
like  the  constellations  of  the  heavens."  In  successive 
periods  of  his  life  familiar  truths  in  succession  became 
extraordinary,  captivating  him,  filling  him  with  won- 
der, thrilling  him  with  delight.  Is  not  this  the  ideal 
life?  First  one  and  then  another  article  of  the  creed 
glowing  into  light,  dawning  on  the  soul,  seizing  it, 
occupying  it,  delighting  it,  leaving  it  with  special  en- 
richment and  perfection !  As  the  constellations  of  the 
heavens  pass  unceasingly  and  majestically,  raising 
thoughts  of  wonder  and  admiration  in  all  noble 
minds,  so,  O  God,  let  the  great  truths  of  Thy 
Holy  Word  cross  our  soul's  horizon — inspiring,  uplift- 
ing, hallowing  all  within.  God  is  discovering  in  a 
marvellous  way  larger  measures  of  His  glory  in  the 
physical  sphere,  and  we  ought  not  to  be  content  except 
He  unveil  to  us  more  fully  the  glory  of  His  Son,  and 
delight  our  soul  with  the  exceeding  abundance  of  His 
grace.  A  true  course  is  one  of  progressive  illumina- 
tion. No  Qiristian  life  is  altogether  right  and  satis- 
factory except  more  light,  and  more,  is  shining  upon 
it  out  of  God's  Word — except  uninteresting  bits  of  the 
raiment  of  the  truth  are  continually  being  transfigured ; 
except  passages  which  resemble  darkened  glass  are 
becoming  telescopic;  unless  commonplace  chapters  of 
historian,  prophet,  and  apostle  sufifer  a  strange  change 
into  streets  of  gold  whose  stones  are  like  unto  a  stone 
most  precious,  as  it  were  a  jasper  stone,  clear  as 
Crystal;  and  unless  starless  spaces  in  the  firmament 
of  revelation  are  being  sown  with  galaxies,  and  irradi- 
ated with  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 

Note  that  the  sources  of  illumination  are  within. 


PROGRESSIVE  REVELATION  89 

"Having  the  eyes  of  your  heart  enUghtened."  It  is 
insight  rather  than  reflected  Hght;  it  springs  up  in 
the  depths  of  the  soul.  This  is  not  the  instruction 
gained  by  intellectual  study;  it  is  rather  experimental, 
coming  through  the  inner  powers  of  affection,  thought, 
and  will.  We  think  we  can  see  the  truths  of  the  uni- 
verse only  with  the  eyes  of  the  theoretic  understand- 
ing; but  the  fact  remains  that  sincerity  of  purpose, 
purity  of  heart,  and  spirituality  of  life  give  an  availing 
acquaintance  with  the  magnificent  truths  of  the  divine 
calling,  and  with  that  surpassing  greatness  of  the  divine 
power  which  makes  our  calling  effectual. 


XX 

FADDISM  IN  FAITH  AND 
CHARACTER 

That  we  may  be  no  longer  children,  tossed  to  and  fro  and 
carried  about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine. — Eph.  iv.  14. 

IN  one  of  Darwin's  letters  we  read  this :  "It  is  a  sad 
flaw,  I  cannot  but  think,  in  my  beloved  Dr.  Gully, 
that  he  believes  in  everything.    When  Miss 

was  very  ill,  he  had  a  clairvoyant  girl  to  report  on 
internal  changes,  a  mesmerist  to  put  her  to  sleep,  a 

homeopathist,  viz.,  Dr.  ,  and  himself  as  hydro- 

pathist!  and  the  girl  recovered."  Our  purpose  is  not 
to  expatiate  on  the  miracle  reported  in  the  closing 
line  of  this  paragraph,  but  rather  to  point  out  that 
the  freakishness  displayed  by  Dr.  Gully  in  the  medical 
world  is,  with  increasing  frequency  we  are  afraid, 
being  reproduced  by  sincere  people  in  matters  of  belief, 
devotion,  and  character.  In  all  religious  circles  these 
faddists  are  found.  They  are  abnormally  susceptible 
to  new-fangled  notions,  greedily  fall  in  with  novelties, 
and  are  every  whit  as  fanciful  as  Dr.  Gully  was  in  his 
special  vocation.  Almost  contemptuous  of  tried  meth- 
ods and  historical  beliefs,  they  consider  their  quick 
sympathy  with  the  novelties  of  the  religious  world  a 
sign  of  advanced  spirituality.     We  know  beforehand 

90 


FADDISM  IN  FAITH  AND  CHARACTER  91 

the  people  who  are  hkely  to  be  infected  by  eccentric 
movements. 

We  anticipate  the  defence  not  unUkely  to  be  set 
up  for  these.  It  may  be  argued,  and  not  unreasonably, 
that  aberrant  souls  who  disconcert  routine  are  some- 
times exceedingly  valuable  to  society,  and  not  less  so 
to  religious  society.  People  accounted  bizarre  con- 
stitute the  seed-plot  whereon  new  ideas  and  enthusi- 
asms are  tested ;  if  a  novelty  contains  truth  or 
relevancy  it  gets  a  chance  to  assert  itself,  if  it  is  a 
crotchet  merely  it  dies  away.  The  sports  of  the  social 
world  are  deeply  interesting,  there  is  no  predicting  to 
what  they  may  grow ;  the  accepted  beliefs  and  indis- 
pensable programmes  of  to-day  were  only  a  little  while 
ago  scorted  as  wayward  and  fantastic.  The  rigidly 
conservative,  who  ruthlessly  ban  every  variant  thought 
and  thing,  usurp  the  office  of  the  Hebrew  midwives, 
and  kill  the  millennial  age  as  it  comes  to  birth.  Nev- 
ertheless, we  must  guard  against  crazes,  and  the  vola- 
tility of  mind  that  is  captivated  by  the  last  grotesque 
toy  of  opinion  and  method.  Darwin  was  no  enemy  of 
fresh  thought,  but  he  knew  the  difference  between  the 
erratic  and  the  original,  and  could  not  approve  of  the 
vagaries  of  his  beloved  doctor  who  "believed  in  every- 
thing." Variation  is  a  prominent  feature  of  nature; 
she  is,  however  extremely  jealous  lest  it  should  be 
carried  to  excess.  The  naturalist  finds  the  most  inge- 
nious arrangements  to  exist  in  the  structure  of  many 
plants,  "that  undue  variation  from  type  may  be 
checked."  Nature  knows  the  preciousness  of  new, 
strange  things,  but  will  not  allow  her  grounds  to 
swarm  with  hybrids,  monsters,  and  an  infinity  of  freaks. 


92  FADDISM  IN  FAITH  AND  CHARACTER 

Singularities  of  view  and  action,  on  the  possession 
or  execution  of  which  even  good  people  are  tempted 
to  plume  themselves,  are  more  often  a  defect  than  a 
merit.  Vagaries  are  not  necessarily  virtues,  although 
often  mistaken  for  such  by  those  who  display  them. 
The  commonplace  aspects  of  the  man's  character  and 
life,  as  a  rule,  are  infinitely  more  significant  than  his 
whims.  We  are  told  that  the  chief  fascination  of 
orchid-culture  lies  in  the  fact  that  an  exceptional  flower 
may  be  found  in  a  common  variety — the  albinos  of  a 
coloured  variety,  spotted  flowers  of  white  varieties,  or 
the  flowers  of  freak  form — and  yet  all  the  time  the 
exceptional  flower,  from  the  point  of  loveliness,  is  dis- 
tinctly inferior  to  that  of  the  common  variety ;  it  is  a 
decadent  taste  that  prefers  the  sport,  the  ordinary 
types  being  usually  far  more  beautiful.  A  collection 
of  birds  was  recently  shown  in  the  Crystal  Palace, 
when,  once  more,  the  "sports"  formed  the  centres  of 
attraction.  A  yellow-hammer  with  red  eyes  of  an 
albino,  a  snow-white  blackbird,  a  dove-coloured  green- 
finch, and  a  white  sky-lark,  were  the  cynosure  of  all 
eyes ;  although  every  competent  critic  would  acknowl- 
edge that  the  real  perfection  of  the  songsters  was  found 
in  the  fine  examples  of  the  ordinary  type.  Something 
like  disease  lurks  within  these  speckled  flowers  and 
birds ;  and  the  eccentric  individual  who  complacently 
accentuates  his  crotchets  mistakes  weakness  for 
strength,  his  warts  for  his  glory.  The  real  worth  of 
men  is  not  in  private  interpretations,  in  quaint  phrases, 
in  the  following  of  unaccustomed  ways,  or  in  unique 
philanthropies — these  may  or  may  not  be  signs  of 
superiority;   but   when   our   aberrations   prompt  the 


FADDISM  IN  FAITH  AND  CHARACTER     93 

neighbours  to  sum  us  up  as  cranks,  the  interest  attach- 
ing to  us  is  rather  that  of  the  harlequin  orchid  or  the 
white  blackbird.  Real  merit  ordinarily  demonstrates 
itself  by  giving  fruitful  applications  to  trite  truths,  and 
by  carrying  commonplace  virtues  to  a  rare  perfection. 
Inordinate  idiosyncrasies  destroy  the  faith  of  people 
in  our  judgment  and  character;  originality  is  so  rare 
that  we  are  suspected  and  not  taken  seriously  when 
we  affect  too  much  of  it.  To  yield  to  the  habit  of  fan- 
cifulness  tends  to  distract  attention  from  the  funda- 
mental truths  and  duties  by  which  we  live.  Crotcheti- 
ness  is  also  a  waste  of  power;  energy  of  mind  and 
heart,  so  precious  for  the  upbuilding  of  character,  and 
efficiency  of  life  are  frittered  away  on  dubious  ends. 
Faddism  feeds  vanity,  the  unique  one  generally  reck- 
oning himself  the  nonsuch  professor.  And,  finally, 
the  tendency  of  exotic  opinions  and  odd  ways  is  anti- 
social ;  the  more  we  insist  on  quaint  notions,  the  more 
isolated  we  become,  and  the  less  capable  of  taking  part 
in  the  great  movements  which  design  the  salvation  of 
the  world. 


XXI 
DEFENCE  AND  DEFIANCE 

Put  on  the  whole  armour  of  God. — Eph.  vi.  1 1. 

THE  motto  of  our  volunteers  is  "Defence,  not 
defiance,"  but  in  the  war  with  evil  we  must 
adopt  the  title  of  this  chapter.  "The  whole 
armour  of  God,"  or  what  is  called  elsewhere  "the 
armour  of  light,"  is  the  sanctification  of  our  whole 
nature  through  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
This  is  the  only  panoply  invulnerable  by  evil.  Wher- 
ever a  defect  in  character  exists — a  weakness  of  the 
soul — there  is  a  flaw  in  our  armour  which  may  well 
prove  fatal.  No  magic  prevails  against  evil  influences 
and  things.  There  is  no  availing  natural  magic ;  no 
amulets,  charms,  or  incantations.  There  is  no  ecclesi- 
astical magic;  no  baptism,  sacrament,  or  sign  of  the 
cross  will  avail  anything,  except  it  is  associated  with 
personal  faith  and  purity.  The  devil  monopolizes  the 
magic ;  and  a  pure  soul  is  no  more  afraid  of  his  black 
arts  than  a  philosopher  is  troubled  by  the  vapourings 
of  a  magician. 

Defence  against  the  sins  which  beset  us  is  implied 
in  our  text.  The  faithful  disciple  of  Christ  is  secure 
in  fidelity  to  the  truth,  in  the  power  of  purity,  in  the 
peace  which  garrisons  his  heart,  in  the  love  of  God 

94 


DEFENCE    AND    DEFIANCE       95 

and  goodness,  in  his  pervasive  righteousness,  in  his 
fellowship  with  Heaven,  in  his  faith  and  hope  laying 
hold  of  eternal  life.  The  Lord  Jesus,  all  love  and 
beauty,  was  the  most  hopeless  target  against  which 
demon  ever  shot  an  arrow ;  and  as  the  mind  of  Christ 
dwells  in  us  and  the  spotlessness  of  His  life  is  attained 
by  us  we  also  become  the  despair  of  hell.  The  grosser 
temptations  fail  to  deprave  one  who  is  clothed  in  the 
shining  mail  of  holiness.  Just  recently  at  the  Cape  a 
diver  was  pursuing  his  vocation  in  the  depths  when  his 
hand  was  suddenly  seized  by  the  tentacle  of  a  gigantic 
octopus.  Fortunately,  with  the  other  hand,  the  man 
was  able  to  transmit  the  danger-signal  to  his  com- 
panions above,  who  immediately  raised  him.  On  the 
unfortunate  diver  emerging  from  the  waters  the 
spectators  were  horrified  to  see  that  his  armour  was 
almost  entirely  enveloped  in  the  slimy  folds  of  the 
frightful  devil-fish,  which  only  relaxed  its  grasp  when 
hewed  to  pieces  by  axes. 

How  that  submerged  explorer  in  the  awful  embrace 
of  the  sea-monster  would  bless  the  brazen  panoply  in 
which  he  was  encased,  and  which  ensured  salvation! 
What  that  armour  was  to  the  diver  in  his  ghastly  con- 
flict in  the  muddy  abyss — the  love  of  truth,  the  power 
of  holiness,  the  refuge  of  prayer  are  to  a  sincere  soul 
assaulted  by  dark  temptations.  The  purest  saint  is 
exposed  to  odious  perils.  Inherited  evil  in  mind  or 
temperament  seeks  to  enswathe  our  personality,  and 
suck  up  our  better  life;  sometimes  sins  of  the  flesh 
close  on  us  loathsomely ;  and  again,  our  environment 
arouses  ugly  and  shuddering  appetites ;  if  we  let  down 
our  moral  tone,  we  are  defenceless  against  cruel  lusts, 


96    DEFENCE    AND    DEFIANCE 

but  no  octopus  of  darkness  grips  a  soul  sincerely  pure. 
"Out  of  the  depths  have  I  cried  unto  Thee,  O  Lord." 
No  sooner  is  the  danger-signal  given  than  we  are 
lifted  into  the  light,  and  delivered  from  monstrousness. 
"With  the  Lord  there  is  mercy,  and  with  Him  is 
plenteous  redemption.  And  He  shall  redeem  Israel 
from  all  his  iniquities." 

The  more  subtle  forms  of  sin  are  equally  innocuous 
to  the  pure  in  heart.  The  temptations  of  our  Lord 
were  of  this  more  delicate  character;  and  as  He  over- 
came in  His  passion  of  purity,  so  will  His  disciples. 
There  is  no  gross  tangibility  in  the  temptations  to 
which  many  good  people  are  subject;  the  enemy 
attacks  with  unseen  array  and  smokeless  powder. 
"Spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places."  The  develop- 
ment of  electricity  has  brought  with  it  a  new  kind  of 
peril  that  has  set  inventors  on  devising  anti-electric 
armour;  and  recently  a  coat  of  mail  was  fabricated 
that  is  effectual  against  the  dangers  of  high-tension 
electricity.  The  protection  consists  in  a  garment  of 
fine  close  brass  gauze,  which  envelopes  the  body  and 
extremities  entirely,  so  that  the  current,  if  it  should 
pass  over  the  body,  will  only  get  as  far  as  the  metallic 
surface,  and  be  then  conducted  off  harmlessly.  Thus 
the  occult  forces  of  evil,  the  temptations  which  appeal 
to  the  mind  and  heart,  are  neutralized  by  the  delicate 
mail,  the  spiritual  armour,  which  guarantees  the  sal- 
vation of  faithful  souls.  We  cannot  read  the  whole 
passage  whence  our  text  is  taken  without  feeling  that 
the  atmosphere  of  life  is  charged  with  malign  electrici- 
ties, which  work  deadly  mischief  unless  we  are  shel- 
tered from  head  to  foot  in  the  invisible  anti-electric 


DEFENCE    AND    DEFIANCE       97 

armour  which  Heaven  silently  and  constantly  forges 
about  pure-hearted  men. 

The  defiance  of  evil.  It  is  not  enough  to  defend 
ourselves  from  the  assaults  of  evil ;  we  must  challenge 
and  fight  it  at  every  step,  even  when  it  does  not 
decisively  challenge  us.  Are  we  not  often  conscious 
of  possibilities  of  evil  in  our  nature  which  are  per- 
mitted to  remain  undisturbed  whilst  they  do  not 
actively  disturb  us?  From  time  to  time  they  signify 
their  presence,  but  so  long  as  they  are  latent  only  they 
are  ignored.  We  do  not  act  thus  with  the  disease."? 
of  the  body.  We  no  sooner  suspect  the  existence  of  a 
bodily  malady  than  we  do  our  best  to  bring  it  to  the 
light,  to  ascertain  its  real  character,  and  to  deal  with 
it  as  drastically  as  we  may.  In  our  spiritual  warfare 
we  ought  to  follow  the  same  course,  anticipating  evil, 
challenging  it,  carrying  the  war  into  the  enemy's 
camp.  To  "let  sleeping  dogs  lie"  is  not  sound  policy 
in  the  moral  life.  Our  attitude  must  be  aggressive, 
whether  evil  is  palpable  or  obscure. 

We  must  deal  with  evil  in  an  uncompromising 
spirit,  allowing  no  truce,  granting  no  quarter.  It  is 
an  axiom  with  the  military  that  a  purely  defensive 
war  must  end  in  defeat;  and  certainly  we  often  fail  in 
spiritual  warfare  because  we  do  not  press  the  battle  to 
the  gate,  and  thoroughly  subjugate  the  enemy  when 
God  gives  us  his  neck.  We  must  deal  with  evil  in  the 
spirit  of  abounding  courage  and  confidence.  He  who 
is  in  us  is  more  than  he  who  is  in  the  world,  and  we 
ought  to  know  it  and  strike  home.  We  must  also 
struggle  against  evil  in  the  full  assurance  of  final  vic- 
tory.    "When  Immanuel,"  says  John  Bunyan,  "had 


98    DEFENCE    AND    DEFIANCE 

driven  Diabolus  and  all  his  forces  out  of  the  City  o£ 
Mansoul,  Diabolus  preferred  a  petition  to  Immanuel, 
that  he  might  have  only  a  small  part  of  the  city.  When 
this  was  rejected,  he  begged  to  have  only  a  little  room 
within  the  walls;  but  Immanuel  answered,  He  should 
have  no  place  in  it  at  all,  no,  not  to  rest  the  sole  of  his 
foot."  To  this  end  and  in  this  confidence  we  must 
pursue  the  struggle.  We  often  fail  in  defence  because 
we  are  lacking  in  the  spirit  of  defiance ;  and  the  whole 
conception  of  the  New  Testament  touching  the 
spiritual  war  is  that  it  will  be  won  in  the  spirit  of 
defiance. 


XXII 
PLOUGHING  THE  SANDS 

Therefore,  behold,  I  will  allure  her,  and  bring  her  into  the 
wilderness,  and  speak  comfortably  unto  her.  And  I  zoill  give 
her  her  vineyards  from  thence. — ^Hos.  ii.  14,  15. 

DR.  WALLACE  tells  us  that  one  of  the  most 
peculiar  and  least  generally  considered  feat- 
ures of  our  earth,  but  one  which  is  also  essen- 
tial to  the  development  and  maintenance  of  the  rich 
organic  life  it  possesses,  is  the  uninterrupted  supply 
of  atmospheric  dust  which  is  now  known  to  be  neces- 
sary for  the  production  of  rain  clouds  and  beneficial 
rains  and  mists,  and  without  which  the  whole  course 
of  meteorological  phenomena  would  be  so  changed  as 
to  endanger  the  very  existence  of  a  large  portion  of 
the  life  upon  the  earth.  Now,  the  chief  portion  of 
this  fine  dust,  distributed  through  the  upper  atmos- 
phere, from  the  equator  to  the  poles,  with  wonderful 
uniformity,  is  derived  from  those  great  terrestrial 
features  which  are  often  looked  upon  as  the  least 
essential,  and  even  as  blots  and  blemishes  on  the  fair 
face  of  nature — deserts  and  volcanoes.  Most  persons,  no 
doubt,  think  they  could  both  be  very  well  spared,  and 
that  the  earth  would  be  greatly  improved,  from  a  human 
point  of  view,  if  they  were  altogether  abolished.    Yet 

99 


100     PLOUGHING    THE    SANDS 

it  is  almost  a  certainty  that  the  consequences  of 
doing  so  would  be  to  render  the  earth  infinitely  less 
enjoyable,  and,  perhaps,  altogether  uninhabitable  by 
man. 

In  most  human  lives  are  periods  closely  correspond- 
ing with  the  deserts  of  the  earth :  times  and  conditions 
distinctly  stale,  flat,  and  apparently  unprofitable ;  spaces 
of  compulsory  isolation  and  solitariness;  seasons  of 
intellectual  infertility  and  depression ;  stretches  of 
drudgery ;  tedious  spells  of  personal  affliction ;  times  of 
enforced  inaction ;  years  of  dullness,  dreariness,  and 
barrenness.  Destitute  of  the  ordinary  interests,  excite- 
ments, and  charms  of  life,  we  may  justly  reckon  such 
periods  as  constituting  the  wilderness  stages  of  our 
pilgrimage.  Of  these  monotonous  interludes  we  think 
and  speak  regretfully.  They  are  looked  upon  as  the 
waste  part  of  life,  the  days  when  we  simply  marked 
time,  when  we  ploughed  the  sand.  What  the  desert 
is  to  nature,  a  blot  and  blemish ;  that,  we  conclude,  are 
the  grey,  featureless  terms  of  human  life.  Yet  may 
we  not  be  mistaken  about  our  dreary  days  and  years 
as  we  are  in  our  estimate  of  the  worth  of  deserts  in 
the  system  of  nature?  As  Dr.  Wallace  reminds  us, 
indirectly  we  get  our  vineyards  from  the  Sahara ;  and 
is  it  any  more  difficult  to  believe  that  what  we  are 
tempted  to  call  the  waste  places  of  life  fulfil  a  mission 
similarly  benign  and  precious?  The  deserts  of  nature 
and  the  colourless  episodes  of  time  are  immensely  more 
enriching  than  at  first  sight  appears.  "I  will  give  her 
her  vineyards  from  thence."  Ploughing  the  sands  is 
a  more  profitable  form  of  agriculture  than  some  clever 
persons  think. 


PLOUGHING     THE     SANDS    101 

Tedious,  sterile,  and  lonely  periods  may  serve  us 
eminently  by  concentrating  for  a  while  our  thoughts 
upon  ourselves.  When  the  environment  is  full  of 
movement  and  colour,  of  incident  and  interest,  our 
mind  is  naturally  occupied  with  it ;  and  not  rarely  occu- 
pied with  it  to  the  total  exclusion  of  introspection  and 
self-acquaintance.  When  our  circumstances  cease  to 
absorb  our  thought,  the  opportunity  is  given  to  com- 
mune with  our  own  heart,  and  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  facts  of  our  personality.  Richard  Semon  has 
an  instructive  passage  on  the  intellectual  benefit  of 
isolation  and  monotony  :  "The  immense  Australian  bush 
offers  genuine  solitude.  At  first  this  solitude  was  new 
and  interesting  to  me,  and  it  used  to  bring  me  lonely 
hours  and  a  sense  of  abandonment ;  but  finally  I  felt 
it  like  a  great  and  mighty  revelation,  a  thing  as  vivid 
and  intense  as  the  witnessing  of  the  most  varied  scenes 
amongst  foreign  lands  and  nations.  It  gives  a  man 
time  and  a  chance  to  look  into  his  innermost  self,  to  see 
himself,  not  as  he  appears  in  the  eyes  of  his  neighbours, 
but  in  his  relation  to  great,  ever-creating,  ever- 
destroying  nature."  This  naturalist  merely  considers 
the  intellectual  advantages  of  the  wilderness  life  in 
self-acquaintance,  and  a  better  appreciation  of  our 
relation  to  nature  ;  but  those  lonely  and  dreary  passages 
of  life  from  which  we  shrink  give  us  time  and  a 
chance  to  look  into  our  heart,  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  secrets  of  character,  to  know  our  relation  to 
God.  As  a  rule  the  world  is  too  much  with  us  to  allow 
either  time  or  energy  for  introspection ;  but  outward 
stagnation  and  insipidity  give  opportunity  for  a  greater 
and  mightier  revelation  than  Semon  received,  even  the 


102     PLOUGHING    THE    SANDS 

more  perfect  knowledge  of  ourselves  in  the  sight  of 
God.  "Therefore,  behold,  I  will  bring  her  into  the 
wilderness."  The  context  shows  that  God  marred  the 
glory  of  Israel  and  brought  her  into  dreary  conditions, 
that  she  might  see  her  real  self  and  prepare  to  meet  her 
Lord. 

God  brings  His  people  into  dull  and  desolate  sur- 
roundings that  they  may  be  fitted  for  the  greater  tasks 
which  await  them.  "I  will  give  her  her  vineyards 
from  thence."  How  strikingly  that  law  has  been 
illustrated  in  the  history  of  many  great  historic  char- 
acters!  Moses  kept  the  flock  of  Jethro  behind  the 
desert.  After  his  conversion  Paul  withdrew  to  Arabia 
for  purposes  of  reflection.  John  at  Patmos  beheld  his 
splendid  vision.  Luther  shut  up  in  the  Castle  of  the 
Wartburg  translated  the  Bible.  John  Bunyan  was 
imprisoned  that  he  might  dream  his  glorious  dream. 
And  John  Wesley  in  squalid  Georgia  was  disciplined 
for  his  great  mission.  Let  us  never  be  impatient  when 
brought  into  desert  places.  The  Pentateuch,  the  Epistles 
of  St.  Paul,  the  Apocalypse,  the  German  Bible,  the 
Pilgrim's  Progress,  the  Evangelical  Revival,  and  a 
thousand  other  purple  vineyards  of  moral  and  spiritual 
wealth  were  vouchsafed  to  us  from  the  wilderness.  We 
may  not  be  likely  to  do  things  after  this  heroic 
measure;  but  our  future  success  in  life  depends  far 
more  on  the  faithful  improvement  of  disappointing 
days,  uncongenial  circumstances,  dreary  tasks,  and 
unfruitful  strivings  than  youth  imagines.  He  who 
is  faithful,  diligent,  and  hopeful  when  life  stretches 
around 

All  dark  and  barren  as  a  rainy  sea, 


PLOUGHING     THE     SANDS    103 

will  bring  his  barque  to  the  golden  isles ;  he  who 
bravely  ploughs  the  sand  and  casts  his  seed  into  the 
dull  furrow  shall  find  it  at  length  a  garden  of  vines, 
fig-trees,  and  pomegranates. 

Earthly  life  is  sometimes  sobered  that  the  heavenly 
world  may  the  better  assert  its  existence  and  claims. 
When  human  life  is  excited,  distracted,  and  absorbed 
by  terrestial  things,  the  heavenlies  are  liable  to  be 
forgotten  and  obscured.  Living  on  the  wide,  unattrac- 
tive plains  of  Mesopotamia  the  ancients  turned  their 
attention  to  the  stars,  there  so  conspicuously  in  evi- 
dence. Mr.  Hudson,  writing  of  the  scenery  of  Pata- 
gonia, remarks :  "On  the  wild  flying  clouds  appeared 
a  rainbow  with  hues  so  vivid  that  we  shouted  aloud 
with  joy  at  the  sight  of  such  loveliness.  ...  I  do 
not  suppose  that  the  colours  were  really  more  vivid 
than  in  numberless  other  rainbows  I  have  seen ;  it  was, 
I  think,  the  universal  greyness  of  earth  and  heaven 
in  that  grey  winter  season,  in  a  region  where  colour 
is  so  sparsely  used  by  nature,  that  made  it  seem  so 
supremely  beautiful,  so  that  the  sight  of  it  affected  us 
like  wine."  The  tameness  of  earth  fascinated  the 
Babylonians  with  the  magnificence  of  the  stars ;  the 
greyness  of  the  landscape  intoxicated  the  naturalist 
with  the  glory  of  the  rainbow ;  and  the  dullness,  weari- 
ness, and  sterility  of  this  earthly  life  give  the  eternal 
world  a  better  chance  to  command  the  thought  and 
affection  of  the  soul. 


XXIII 
ELEVATION  AND  VISION 

After  these  things  I  saw,  and  behold,  a  door  opened  in 
heaven,  and  the  first  voice  which  I  heard,  a  voice  as  of  a  trum- 
pet speaking  with  me,  one  saying,  Come  up  hither,  and  I  will 
show  thee  the  things  which  must  come  to  pass  hereafter. 
— Rev.  iv.  I. 

IT  is  a  serious  error  to  suppose  that  we  can  rightly 
apprehend  the  highest  truths  whilst  we  live  on 
a  low  plane  of  thought  and  conduct,  and  yet  it  is 
a  very  common  error.  Those  who  grovel  in  the  dust, 
nay,  who  wallow  in  the  sensual  mire,  yet  believe 
themselves  competent  to  discuss  the  most  solemn  prob- 
lems of  existence  and  destiny ;  they  conclude  that  the 
truths  concerning  God — His  existence,  laws,  govern- 
ment, revelation,  and  purpose — are  apprehended  and 
understood  mentally  like  theories  of  mechanics  and 
mathematics.  It  is  a  profound  mistake;  divinest  veri- 
ties are  revealed  only  to  the  upward  gaze  and  the 
uplifted  life. 

It  is  a  matter  of  popular  knowledge  that  the  human 
eye,  as  an  organ  of  vision,  is  not  commensurate  with 
the  whole  range  of  solar  radiation,  and  that  it  is  inca- 
pable of  receiving  visual  impressions  from  all  the  rays 
emitted  by  the  sun.  Beyond  the  violet  at  one  end  of 
the  spectrum  are  rays  so  intense  as  to  be  invisible,  and 

104 


ELEVATION    AND    VISION     105 

beyond  the  red  at  the  other  end  of  the  spectrum  are 
rays  whose  feebler  action  render  them  equally  invisible ; 
beyond  the  violet  and  the  red  the  vibrations  in  the 
light  ether  make  no  appeal  to  the  optic  nerve,  we  are 
unconscious  of  colours  actually  before  our  eyes,  of 
beams  of  light  which  the  chemist  knows  to  be  of  the 
first  consequence.  So  a  world  of  truth  exists  which  in 
the  very  nature  of  things  is  for  ever  hidden  from  the 
secularized  soul.  The  carnal  eye  may  distinguish 
certain  great  religious  and  ethical  facts  and  distinc- 
tions, but  eternal  realities  of  the  very  first  importance 
are  inaccessible  to  the  blurred  and  feeble  sense.  "The 
natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him ;  and  he  cannot 
know  them,  because  they  are  spiritually  judged." 

To  see  eternal  realities  with  open  vision  we  must 
preserve  a  pure  and  sensitive  soul.  Only  as  the  Spirit 
of  God  refines  our  perceptions,  works  in  us  clearness 
of  insight,  endows  us  with  spiritual  imagination  and 
sensibility,  are  we  qualified  to  apprehend,  mirror,  and 
appropriate  the  truths  by  which  men  live.  Recently 
in  some  experiments  in  colour  photography  it  was 
attempted  to  reproduce  the  colours  of  the  spectrum. 
The  experiment  succeeded  so  far  as  the  bars  of  colour 
in  the  interval  between  the  violet  and  the  red  were 
concerned ;  but  the  camera  failed  to  represent  the  ultra 
hues,  the  film  was  not  sufficiently  sensitive  to  seize  the 
hidden  mystery  of  colour,  and  a  couple  of  blotches 
alone  witnessed  to  the  existence  of  the  unseen  rays. 
Thus  a  coarsened  soul  in  its  dark  misgivings  bears 
witness  to  unseen  things,  yet  it  lacks  the  subtlety  to 
discern    and    realize    the    glorious    realities    of    the 


106    ELEVATION    AND    VISION 

transcending  universe.  Our  spirit  must  be  uplifted 
by  fellowship  with  God,  made  sensitive  by  purity, 
refined  by  love,  kept  steady  by  a  great  hope  and  con- 
fidence, or  it  cannot  reflect  and  realize  eternal  verities. 
"Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart :  for  they  shall  see  God"  ; 
and  seeing  Him,  the  whole  universe  becomes  like  unto 
clear  glass.  "Things  which  eye  saw  not,  and  ear  heard 
not,  and  which  entered  not  into  the  heart  of  man,"  are 
revealed  in  the  pure  heart  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is 
not  so  much  by  intellectual  acuteness  as  by  truth  and 
purity  in  the  inward  parts  that  we  lay  hold  of  the  things 
of  God.  Keep,  then,  the  soul  bright  and  fair,  "that  the 
God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  Glory, 
may  give  unto  you  a  spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation 
in  the  knowledge  of  Him ;  having  the  eyes  of  your 
heart  enlightened,  that  ye  may  know  what  is  the  hope 
of  His  calling,  what  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  His 
inheritance  in  the  saints,  and  what  the  exceeding  great- 
ness of  His  power  to  usward  who  believe." 

To  apprehend  justly  and  influentially  eternal  truths 
our  life  must  be  lofty  in  its  spirit  and  aim.  Infidelity 
and  pessimism  just  now  are  rampant  amongst  us,  and 
we  need  not  wonder  at  this  when  we  remember  the 
prevalence  of  a  worldly  and  selfish  temper.  The  real 
explanation  of  our  dubiety  and  despair  is  not  to  be 
sought  in  our  intellectual  defects  and  limitations,  but 
rather  in  the  narrowness,  egotism,  and  debasement  of 
our  thoughts,  ideals,  and  strivings.  We  need  to  get 
on  a  higher  plane  of  thinking,  sympathy,  and  purpose. 
"Come  up  hither,  and  I  will  show  thee  things  which 
must  be  hereafter."  The  Almighty  could  not  unveil 
to  John  eternal  spheres,  realities,  and  relations  whilst 


ELEVATION    AND    VISION     107 

he  continued  on  the  depressed  levels  where  men  ordi- 
narily live ;  only  was  this  possible  as  the  seer  attained  a 
vaster  horizon  and  breathed  an  ampler  air.  "Come  up 
hither,  and  I  will  show  thee."  Is  not  that  the  call  of 
God  to  us  ?  Come  up  out  of  that  yellow  fog  of  covet- 
ousness,  that  tinted  vapour  of  vanity,  that  blinding 
smoke  of  pride  and  self-will,  that  sandstorm  of  worldli- 
ness,  that  enveloping  cloud  of  animal  appetite  and 
passion,  and  you  shall  know  the  glorious  things  freely 
given  you  of  God.  In  the  elevated  mood,  which  be- 
comes an  elevated  habit,  He  grants  a  comforting  and 
transforming  consciousness  of  Himself;  He  gives  deli- 
cate interpretations  of  His  will ;  He  reveals  His  eternal 
purpose  in  Christ  Jesus ;  He  makes  us  to  taste  the  pow- 
ers of  the  world  to  come.  It  is  only  through  the  high 
life  of  entire  consecration,  of  constant  communion  with 
the  skies,  of  intense  and  sustained  spiritual  sympathy, 
that  we  get  insight  into  the  deep  things  of  God.  We 
are  told  that  from  the  bottom  of  a  pit  the  stars  are 
visible  at  noonday,  but  to  those  who  are  content  to 
dwell  in  the  murky  depths  of  low  thinking,  feeling, 
and  action,  the  lights  of  the  upper  universe  are  lost 
in  impenetrable  obscuration.  "Come  up  hither,  and  I 
will  show  thee." 

What  is  our  response  to  this  invitation?  Are  we 
willing  to  renounce  all  the  attractions  of  the  lower  life, 
to  yield  ourselves  to  our  noblest  impulses  and  dare 
the  life  of  thoroughgoing  holiness,  to  frame  our  ways 
after  the  purest  patterns  and  standards,  to  delight 
ourselves  in  the  Lord  and  in  His  commandments  and 
service?  If  we  are  thus  responsive  to  the  hf^avenly 
call,  we  shall  rejoice  in  an  inner  light  and  assurance 


108    ELEVATION    AND    VISION 

that  will  fill  our  heart  with  peace,  such  as  no  polemical 
volume  or  debating  society  could  secure  us.  Practical 
purity  is  the  best  medium  for  supernatural  revelation. 
If  our  souls  are  to  gain  light  and  certainty,  we  must 
live  more  nearly  as  we  pray.  Character  is  the  chief 
source  of  illumination ;  noble  conduct  best  augments 
the  inner  light;  life  aspiring  to  high  standards  rather 
than  logic  divines  the  secrets  of  eternity.  If  we  con- 
sent to  live  higher,  purer,  worthier  lives,  it  will  do  far 
more  for  the  clearness  and  certitude  of  our  faith  than 
a  whole  world  of  controversy.  Standing  by  our  Mas- 
ter's side  in  the  heavenlies  He  whispers  us  in  the  ear, 
and  we  saints  know. 


XXIV 
ELEVATION  AND  STRENGTH 

Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  hath  blessed  us  with  every  spiritual  blessing  in  the  heav- 
enly places  in  Christ. — Eph.  i.  3. 

That  ye  may  know  .  .  .  the  exceeding  greatness  of 
His  power  to  usward  who  believe,  according  to  that  working 
of  the  strength  of  His  might  which  He  wrought  in  Christ, 
when  He  raised  Him  from  the  dead,  and  made  Him  to  sit  at 
His  right  hand  in  the  heavenly  places. — Eph.  i.  18-20. 

EVERY  spiritual  blessing  is  the  gift  of  Christ, 
but  these  blessings  are  realized  only  as  we  live 
in  the  "heavenlies."  "He  has  raised  us  up  with 
Him,  and  made  us  to  sit  with  Him  in  the  heavenly 
places,  in  Christ  Jesus."  Words  implying  habitual, 
permanent  elevation.  We  are  not  "caught  up  into 
paradise"  for  a  fugitive  moment,  it  is  not  an  ecstasy, 
but  in  Him  we  are  privileged  to  live  on  a  high  plane 
of  thought  and  sentiment,  of  experience  and  achieve- 
ment; our  affections  being  "set"  on  things  above,  the 
whole  character  of  our  mind,  heart,  and  life  transcend- 
ing the  terrestrial.  The  highest  blessings  are  attained 
only  as  we  live  lives  of  distinct  spirituality  and  conse- 
cration. The  special  gift  we  now  contemplate  is  that 
of  power,  and  our  duplicated  text  teaches  that  eleva- 
tion is  the  condition  of  moral  strength  and  efficiency. 

109 


110        ELEVATION  AND   STRENGTH 

Nothing  in  our  day  is  more  thought  about,  written 
about,  sought  after,  than  power,  the  discovery  of  any 
new  kind  of  force  being  hailed  with  universal  satisfac- 
tion. The  way  in  which  we  have  learned  to  use  various 
manifestations  of  physical  energy  is  the  chief  distinction 
of  our  age.  But  no  force  is  comparable  in  its  precious- 
ness  to  that  spiritual  might  by  which  we  reach  the 
ideal  of  character,  attain  victory  over  our  foes,  and 
find  ourselves  competent  for  the  discharge  of  every 
duty.  Humanity  needs  the  power  to  fulfil  its  highest 
ideals  more  than  it  needs  any  other  power  whatever. 
This  is  the  power  of  Pentecost,  the  most  glorious  gift 
we  may  covet ;  and  it  is  ours  only  as  we  aspire  to  a  life 
of  elevated  purpose,  experience,  and  action. 

Scientists  and  philosophers  have  much  to  say  about 
a  kind  of  force  that  they  distinguish  as  "energy  of 
position."  There  is  a  certain  locked-up  motion  in  an 
elevated  body :  a  force  which  demonstrates  itself  when 
the  body  is  released,  energy  of  position  being  converted 
into  energy  of  motion.  We  get  an  exemplification  of 
this  theory  in  pile-driving  machines :  slowly  the  ram 
creeps  to  the  top  of  the  machine,  attaining  energy  of 
position ;  then  the  releasing  hook  frees  the  massive 
body,  which  falls  with  accumulated  force  on  the  pile- 
head.  The  tourist  step  by  step  pushes  his  machine 
along  the  steep  mountain-side,  but  having  reached  the 
crest  has  no  more  trouble,  he  has  won  energy  of  posi- 
tion, and  sweeps  down  succeeding  slopes  in  triumph. 
Niagara  supplies  an  apt  illustration  of  the  doctrine  of 
energy  of  position.  The  deep  fall  of  the  mighty  river 
creates  or  liberates  an  amazing  force  which,  when  duly 
conserved,  is  capable  of  effecting  immense  results — ■ 


ELEVATION    AND    STRENGTH         111 

driving  machinery,  lighting  with  electricity  remote 
cities,  and  accomplishing  manifold  purposes  of  utility. 
Throughout  the  physical  world  we  witness  the  mar- 
vellous efficacy  of  energy  of  position :  elevation  is 
efficiency. 

Society  supplies  fresh  proof  of  the  realty  and  effec- 
tiveness of  energy  of  position.  Speaking  of  "the  upper 
ten,"  we  use  a  suggestive  metaphor — one  that  indi- 
cates a  ruling  class  whose  immense  influence  is  the 
energy  of  elevated  position.  This  class  comprises  men 
of  wealth,  culture,  and  rank ;  slowly  they  acquired 
gold,  scholarship,  or  title;  slowly  they  accumulated 
power,  and  now  from  elevated  place  they  exercise  a 
political  and  social  influence  of  the  first  consequence. 
The  "upper  ten"  in  many  palpable  ways  demonstrate 
the  fact  and  competence  of  energy  of  position. 

But  the  text  reminds  us  of  the  supreme  import  of 
elevation  in  the  moral  life.  Stupendous  power  resides 
in  a  soul  that  lives  high  above  the  world,  one  familiar 
with  eternity,  ever  steeping  in  the  light.  Christian 
believers  may  not  always  impress  us  with  the  sense  of 
force ;  their  power  is  often  power  in  a  state  of  rest,  they 
are  restrained,  passive,  patient;  but  no  sooner  are 
they  brought  into  circumstances  of  difficulty,  of 
arduous  duty,  of  severe  temptation,  of  bitter  depriva- 
tion and  suffering,  than  they  discover  tremendous 
energy  and  prove  complete  masters  of  the  situation : 
the  potential  becomes  the  actual,  energy  of  position  is 
converted  into  energy  of  victorious  action,  the  erst- 
while passive  saints  acquit  themselves  as  heroes  and 
martyrs.  Not  for  nothing  have  they  lived  on  high, 
mused  on  holy  things,  talked  with  God,  drunk  from 


112        ELEVATION  AND   STRENGTH 

eternal  fountains ;  when  the  occasion  arises  they  are 
equal  to  it,  they  have  strength  to  subordinate  the  lower 
nature,  to  fulfil  obligation,  to  make  the  costliest  sacri- 
fices :  they  develop  power  for  watching,  working,  fight- 
ing for  life  and  death.  Irresistible  and  invincible 
forces  accumulate  in  a  soul  that  habitually  dwells  with 
God;  it  knows  perfectly  how  real  is  the  energy  of 
position.  A  while  ago  a  literary  authority,  in  address- 
ing an  audience  interested  in  the  drama,  asked,  Could 
a  very  good  man  be  a  hero?  He  answered  "No";  the 
exceptionally  good  man  could  not  be  a  hero  of  drama. 
In  the  first  place,  the  drama  dwelt  with  action, 
and  the  saint  was  passive.  Then  again,  the 
drama  dealt  with  emotions,  and  the  saint  was 
a  man  who  had  subdued  emotion.  In  the  third 
place,  what  an  audience  looked  for  in  a  hero  was 
an  exhibition  of  mastery,  of  force,  of  something  sig- 
nificant. This  gentleman's  conception  of  a  saint  was 
partial ;  he  left  out  the  complimentary  aspect  of  saintly 
character.  Sometimes  the  saint  does  appear  passive, 
passionless,  unassertive ;  his  energy  is  in  a  state  of  rest : 
but  change  his  circumstances,  and  his  glorious  poten- 
tiality flashes  forth ;  he  reveals  action,  emotion,  mastery 
of  the  sublimest  character. 

Is  not  the  main  deficiency  with  many  of  us  the  lack 
of  instinctive,  adequate,  triumphant  moral  power? 
Too  often  we  sadly  fail  in  the  trying  hour;  and  when 
we  do  not  absolutely  fail,  we  are  conscious  of  miserable 
insufficiency.  In  one  of  his  letters  Stevenson  refers 
regretfully  to  the  paralyzing  influence  of  ill-health 
upon  his  literary  work.  "I  have  never  at  command 
that  press  of  spirits  necessary  to  strike  out  a  thing  red- 


ELEVATION    AND    STRENGTH        113 

hot.  A  certain  languor  marks  the  whole.  It  is  not,  in 
short,  art."  How  many  of  us  are  conscious  of  a  simi- 
lar moral  feebleness  marring  our  character  and  action ! 
We  do  at  length  arrive,  we  muddle  through,  our  calling 
and  work  are  finished  after  a  fashion,  but  faintness  and 
failure  are  everywhere  in  evidence.  We  have  not  at 
command  the  spiritual  vigour  necessary  to  strike  out 
things  of  duty  and  service  red-hot — immediate,  com- 
plete, triumphant.  "That  ye  may  know  the  exceeding 
greatness  of  His  power  to  usward  who  believe,  accord- 
ing to  that  working  of  the  strength  of  His  might  which 
He  wrought  in  Christ,"  leave  the  lower  levels,  aspire 
to  a  life  of  entire  dedication,  seek  the  closer  walk. 
The  tonic  is  in  the  mountain  air.  He  who  lives  in  the 
heavenly  places  shares  in  the  majestic  strength  of  the 
glorified  Lord,  under  whose  feet  all  things  are  put  in 
subjection. 


XXV 
ELEVATION  AND  SAFETY 

He  that  dwelleth  in  the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High  shall 
abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty. — Ps.  xci.  i. 

IN  the  highest  moods  of  thought  and  feeling  we 
enjoy  an  immunity  impossible  to  those  who  do 
not  live  a  whole-hearted  spiritual  life.  If  we 
would  be  safe,  we  must  live  near  God,  dwell  in  His 
secret  place,  high  above  the  levels  of  the  unspiritual. 
The  higher  life,  or  rather  the  highest  life,  is  the  condi- 
tion of  absolute  security. 

The  devil  uses  the  stratagem  of  elevation,  just  as 
the  hawk  does.  Thus  he  approached  our  Lord.  "Then 
the  devil  taketh  Him  up  into  the  holy  city,  and  setteth 
Him  on  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple."  "Again,  the  devil 
taketh  Him  up  into  an  exceeding  high  mountain,  and 
showeth  Him  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  and  the 
glory  of  them."  So  still  from  enchanted  heights  does 
the  enemy  of  souls  beguile  men,  and,  alas!  too  often 
captures  them.  Here  he  brings  the  ambitious,  luring 
them  with  a  seat  in  the  cabinet;  here  also  he  dazzles 
the  covetous,  showing  them  twenty  per  cent. ;  and  here 
he  intoxicates  the  sensualist,  showing  him  the  land 
below  decked  with  the  lotus  and  the  rose.  All  tempta- 
tion implies  dangerous  elevation — an  excitement  of  the 

114 


ELEVATION    AND    SAFETY  115 

senses,  a  kindled  imagination,  an  exaltation  of  the 
moods  and  emotions  of  the  soul.  The  tempted  are 
always  poised  on  a  pinnacle :  from  the  dizzy  mountain 
brow  they  survey  the  glittering  scene  to  which  dis- 
tance lends  enchantment. 

How  shall  we  resist  this  sorcery,  and  be  secure 
against  the  glamour  of  dangerous  heights  of  fancy 
and  feeling?  Wherein  was  the  salvation  of  our  Lord 
when  He  was  tempted  as  we  are?  He  went  higher 
still.  'The  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air"  essays  his 
arts  of  deception  and  fascination  high  up  in  the  realm 
of  cloudland  and  mirage;  but  our  Lord  went  outside 
the  atmosphere  altogether,  and  judged  the  earth  from 
the  depths  of  the  heavens.  The  "wicked  one"  exercised 
over  our  Lord  no  fascination,  played  Him  no  trick, 
touched  Him  not,  because  He  ever  judged  the  earthly 
in  the  light  of  the  heavenly,  the  human  in  the  light  of 
the  divine,  the  temporal  in  the  light  of  the  eternal. 
"Come  up,  and  I  will  show  thee,"  cries  a  master  of 
illusions,  thrusting  into  our  hand  the  cup  of  sorcery. 
"Come  up,  and  I  will  show  thee,"  cries  a  voice  out  of 
heaven ;  and  if  we  regard  that  invitation  from  on  high, 
the  cup  of  intoxication  is  shattered,  and  the  wine  of  its 
fornication  is  as  water  spilled  on  the  ground.  The 
way  to  master  temptation  is  to  transcend  it.  The  peril 
of  selfishness  is  best  vanquished  by  a  grander  selfish- 
ness, which  is  ready  to  lose  its  life  for  the  sake  of  the 
life  eternal ;  the  peril  of  insobriety  is  most  effectually 
mastered  by  the  rarer  intoxication  of  being  filled  with 
the  Spirit ;  and  the  peril  of  worldliness  is  past  to  those 
who  look  upon  the  heavenly  vision  of  the  immortal 
treasures  and  delights  of  the  spiritual  universe. 


116  ELEVATION  AND  SAFETY 

If  terrestrial  things  are  not  to  prove  a  snare,  we 
must  cherish  the  elevated  mood  and  dwell  in  the  secret 
place  of  the  Most  High.  One  side  of  the  dangerous- 
ness  of  human  life  is  to  misconceive  the  place  and 
purpose  of  the  secular  world,  and  therefore  to  exag- 
gerate or  despise  it ;  but  the  man  of  spiritual  thought 
and  devout  feeling,  he  who  is  familiar  with  the  larger 
law  and  purpose  of  God,  he  who  abides  in  the  secret 
place  of  the  Most  High  and  makes  that  his  standpoint 
of  judgment,  has  got  the  true  perspective,  knows  the 
just  proportion,  and  uses  the  world  without  abusing 
it.  He  weighs  all  things  in  unerring  balances,  measures 
them  with  the  angel's  golden  reed.  We  are  naturally 
the  slaves  of  the  best,  the  biggest,  the  brightest  that 
we  know,  and  nothing  can  emancipate  us  from  the 
dominion  of  the  present  but  to  see,  to  taste,  to  follow 
the  far  grander  conceptions  of  a  godly  life.  The  roses 
of  the  summer  may  entice  those  who  have  not  known 
the  fadeless  amaranth ;  broken  cisterns  charm  the 
thirsty  who  have  not  tasted  the  upper  springs ;  rifted 
lutes  are  sweet  to  ears  ignorant  of  celestial  music ;  and 
the  pedlar's  toys  of  human  pride  are  alluring  to  those 
who  have  not  grasped  the  jewels  of  spiritual  proprie- 
torship and  dominion.  We  are  safe  from  the  world 
only  as  we  transcend  it.  We  must  all  be  Dantes, 
familiar  with  the  holy  laws,  the  far-off  horizons,  the 
solemn  imagery  of  the  eternal  world,  if  we  are  to  esti- 
mate aright  the  interests,  relationships,  pleasures,  and 
sufferings  of  this  present  life. 

We  fight  successfully  positive  temptations  to  sin 
only  whilst  we  draw  our  motives  and  inspirations  from 
the  highest  sources.     Every  step  taken  into  a  higher, 


ELEVATION   AND    SAFETY  117 

holier  life  secures  a  completer  immunity  from  the 
power  of  evil.  Virtually  there  is  no  temptation  to 
those  who  climb  high  enough ;  they  still  suffer  the  trial 
of  their  faith  and  principle,  but  they  have  no  evil 
thought,  no  affinity  with  evil,  it  exercises  over  them 
no  fascination,  it  is  to  them  as  though  it  were  not. 
Never  deal  with  temptation  on  low  utilitarian  grounds 
of  health,  reputation,  or  interest.  If  you  have  a  vice, 
convict  it  at  Sinai ;  arraign  it  at  the  bar  of  the  Judg- 
ment Day;  make  it  ashamed  of  itself  at  the  feet  of 
Christ ;  blind  it  with  heaven ;  scorch  it  with  hell ;  take 
it  into  the  upper  air  where  it  cannot  get  its  breath, 
and  choke  it. 

And  chok'st  thou  not  him  in  the  upper  air 
His  strength  he  will  still  on  the  earth  repair. 

Migratory  birds  invisible  to  the  eye  have  been 
detected  by  the  telescope  crossing  the  disc  of  the  sun 
six  miles  above  the  earth.  They  have  found  one  of 
the  secret  places  of  the  Most  High;  far  above  the 
earth,  invisible  to  the  human  eye,  hidden  in  the  light, 
they  were  delightfully  safe  from  the  fear  of  evil.  Thus 
it  is  with  the  soul  that  soars  into  the  heavenly  places ; 
no  arrow  can  reach  it,  no  fowler  betray  it,  no  creature 
of  prey  make  it  afraid ;  it  abides  in  the  shadow  of  the 
Almighty. 


XXVI 
ELEVATION  AND  PEACE 

The  mountains  shall  bring  peace  to  the  people. — Ps.  Ixxii.  3. 

PEACE  originates  in  strength  and  loftiness ;  ele- 
vation is  the  condition  of  power  and  calm. 
Peace  within  ourselves  can  be  established  only 
by  the  very  highest  and  most  penetrating  considera- 
tions. What  an  abyss  of  contradictions  and  conflicts 
is  the  human  breast !  The  cosmic  struggle  is  reflected 
in  the  heart  of  man.  Our  deepest  discontent  and 
misery  spring  out  of  this  schism  and  internecine  war- 
fare. And  how  trivial  and  unavailing  are  the  efforts 
of  the  natural  man  to  reconcile  himself  to  himself,  to 
get  rid  of  the  burden  and  friction  of  a  nature  at  war 
within  itself!  Our  Lord  indicates  this.  "Peace  I  leave 
with  you ;  My  peace  I  give  unto  you :  not  as  the  world 
giveth,  give  I  unto  you.  Let  not  your  heart  be 
troubled,  neither  let  it  be  fearful."  "Not  as  the  world 
giveth."  The  natural  man  attempts  to  rid  himself  of 
the  cruel  burden  of  the  soul  by  boldly  denying  its 
existence ;  he  plots  to  evade  the  painful  sense  of  interior 
discord  by  distracting  and  absorbing  his  thought  upon 
the  outside  world ;  he  snatches  intervals  of  unconscious- 
ness in  the  anaesthetics  of  fashion  or  indulgence;  but 
whatever  is  done  is  shallow  and  ineffectual,  he  never 

118 


ELEVATION   AND   PEACE      119 

establishes  peace  within  himself,  at  best  only  a  truce. 
We  know  a  war  picture  entitled,  "A  Quiet  Day  in  a 
Battery";  it  represents  artillerists  enjoying  precarious 
moments  of  leisure  and  refreshment  ere  they  are  sum- 
moned to  imminent  action  by  the  peal  of  the  trumpet 
and  the  thunder  of  the  guns.  Intervals  of  rest  in  the 
warfare  of  the  soul  are  after  this  sort;  the  painful 
struggle  of  the  spirit  against  the  flesh,  the  reason 
against  the  passions,  the  conscience  against  the  incli- 
nation and  will,  may  be  momentarily  suspended,  but  it 
is  not  finished,  anon  it  breaks  out  again  as  bitter  and 
fierce  as  ever. 

"Not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you."  The 
disorder  of  our  nature  can  be  successfully  treated  only 
from  above.  The  method  of  the  New  Testament  is  to 
satisfy  the  conscience  by  the  atonement  of  Calvary; 
to  destroy  the  virus  of  evil  which  poisons  the  heart ;  to 
vivify  the  affections  by  the  enthusiasm  of  love;  to 
strengthen  the  will  in  righteousness.  It  is  miserably 
disappointing  to  deal  with  the  anarchy  of  our  nature 
on  the  low,  superficial  grounds  to  which  the  world 
invites  us.  If  we  covet  the  radical  pacification  of  a 
warring  soul,  we  must  go  for  our  motives  and  specifics 
to  a  transcending  world ;  great  thoughts,  stimulations, 
and  succours  are  indispensable.  We  must  tremble  on 
Sinai,  see  the  vision  from  Nebo's  top,  prove  the  virtue 
of  the  green  hill  beyond  a  city's  wall,  drink  in  the 
teachings  of  Olivet,  and  know  the  transfigurating  grace 
of  Tabor.  Only  in  heavenly  places  can  we  treat 
effectually  the  tumult,  malignancy,  and  weakness  of 
the  heart.  J.  F.  Millet  has  a  saying:  "Art  lives  by 
passion  alone,  and  a  man  cannot  be  deeply  moved  by 


120     ELEVATION    AND    PEACE 

nothing."  True  holiness  is  born  in  passion,  it  lives 
by  passion  alone,  and  here  specially  a  man  cannot  be 
deeply  moved  by  nothing.  The  consciousness  of  God, 
the  knowledge  of  His  everlasting  righteousness,  the 
experience  of  the  truth,  mercy,  and  grace  of  Jesus 
Christ,  the  sense  of  eternity — these  high  truths  can 
deeply  move  us,  restrain  us,  inspire  us,  guarantee  our 
utmost  salvation,  and  nothing  else  can. 

Peace  amid  the  frictions  and  wounds  of  outward 
life  is  only  possible  whilst  the  soul  is  uplifted  and 
invigorated  by  heavenly  virtue.  Only  as  we  transcend 
our  troubles  can  we  master  them.  The  greatness  and 
loftiness  of  the  mountain  must  pass  into  our  mind,  the 
wideness  and  depth  of  the  sea  into  our  heart,  if  we  are 
to  live  untroubled  by  the  vicissitudes  of  human  fortune. 
A  thousand  pretentious  maxims  and  manoeuvres  de- 
signed to  keep  trouble  at  a  distance  are  little  less  than 
absurd;  vexation  and  pain  must  be  swallowed  up  in 
thoughts  and  consolations  not  of  this  world.  The 
psalmist  bemoans  himself:  "Oh  that  I  had  wings  like 
a  dove !  Then  would  I  fly  away,  and  be  at  rest.  Lo, 
then  would  I  wander  far  ofT,  I  would  lodge  in  the 
wilderness.  I  would  haste  me  to  a  shelter  from  the 
stormy  wind  and  tempest."  There  is  a  truer  way  than 
this  out  of  a  painful  situation. 

Mr.  Hudson  tells  us  that  in  Patagonia  he  was  much 
surprised  by  the  behaviour  of  a  couple  of  sweet  song- 
sters during  a  thunderstorm.  On  a  still,  sultry  day  in 
summer  he  was  standing  watching  masses  of  black 
cloud  coming  rapidly  over  the  sky,  while  a  hundred 
yards  from  him  stood  the  two  birds  also  apparently 
watching  the  approaching  storm  with  interest.     Pres- 


ELEVATION   AND   PEACE      121 

ently  the  edge  of  the  cloud  touched  the  sun,  and  a 
twiHght  gloom  fell  on  the  earth.  The  very  moment 
the  sun  disappeared  the  birds  rose  up  and  began 
singing  their  long  resounding  notes,  though  it  was 
loudly  thundering  at  the  time,  while  vivid  flashes  of 
lightning  lit  the  black  cloud  overhead.  He  watched 
their  flight  and  listened  to  their  notes,  till  suddenly  as 
they  made  a  wide  sweep  upwards  they  disappeared  in 
the  cloud,  and  their  voices  seemed  to  come  from  an 
immense  distance.  The  cloud  continued  emitting  sharp 
flashes  of  lightning,  but  the  birds  never  reappeared, 
and  after  six  or  seven  minutes  once  more  their  notes 
sounded  loud  and  clear  above  the  muttering  thunder. 
They  had  passed  through  the  cloud  into  the  clear 
atmosphere  above  it,  and  the  naturalist  expresses  his 
surprise  at  their  fearlessness. 

But  really  did  not  these  sweet  singers,  passing 
through  the  thunder-cloud  and  singing  above  it,  show 
us  the  true  policy  for  dark  days?  We  must  not 
attempt  to  evade  our  troubles,  not  to  resist  them,  not 
to  fly  before  them,  but  simply  to  transcend  them. 
Soaring  into  the  clear  atmosphere  above,  the  thunder 
will  not  terrify  nor  the  lightning  smite.  We  become 
oblivious  of  a  score  of  things  which  irritate  and  wound 
others  to  madness.  Just  as  those  wise,  brave  birds 
mounted  beyond  the  tempest  into  the  blue  heavens 
and  golden  sunshine,  so  the  devout  soul  in  faith  and 
prayer,  in  hallowed  thought  and  feeling,  wings  its  way 
into  the  calm  azure  of  the  heaven  of  heavens  until  the 
storms  are  overpast  and  gone.  Even  whilst  yet  in  the 
flesh  we  are  with  the  angels,  and  with  glorified  spirits 
who  dwell  in  the  stillness  where  beyond  these  voices 


122    ELEVATION    AND    PEACE 

there  is  peace.  In  those  serene  heights  Christ  dwells, 
and  ever  exhorts  His  people.  Lift  up  your  eyes  to  the 
heavens  where  I  sit;  in  faith  and  love  and  hope  claim 
your  place  by  My  side;  and  your  heart  shall  be  un- 
troubled, neither  shall  it  be  afraid. 

How  happy  are  the  little  flock, 

Who,  safe  beneath  their  guardian  Rock, 

In  all  commotions  rest ! 
When  war's  and  tumuU's  waves  run  high, 
Unmoved  above  the  storm  they  he; 

They  lodge  in  Jesu's  breast. 

It  has  been  said  that  no  class  reveals  so  tranquil  a 
temper  as  astronomers  do.  Close  observers  declare 
that  of  all  men  they  are  most  equal  and  serene.  It  is 
easy  to  imagine  that  this  should  be  so.  Habitually 
dwelling  in  the  heavens,  thinking  God's  thoughts  in 
the  mighty  constellations,  familiar  with  infinity  and 
eternity,  no  wonder  that  a  majestic  quietness  dis- 
tinguishes them  from  other  men.  To  us  who  awake 
out  of  nothingness  the  morning  newspaper  may  be 
replete  with  agitating  items,  but  its  most  stirring  and 
dramatic  paragraphs  will  hardly  flurry  the  midnight 
watcher  awed  by  the  vastness  of  the  heavens  and  the 
mystery  of  the  stars.  How  much  more  will  the  saint 
"made  higher  than  the  heavens"  be  oblivious  of  earthly 
annoyances  and  catastrophes,  and  live  in  tumultuous 
scenes  with  a  placid  temper!  Walk  out  of  the  great 
chapters  of  revelation  into  daily  life,  and  you  will  be 
astonished  at  the  strength  and  peace  which  garrison 
your  soul. 


XXVII  / 

DEFERRED  BLESSING 

And  I  tvill  restore  to  you  the  years  that  the  locust  hath 
eaten,  the  cankerworm,  and  the  caterpiUar,  and  the  palmer- 
worm,  my  great  army  which  I  sent  among  you. — ^Joel  ii.  25. 

IT  is  not  necessary  to  regard  the  text  as  express- 
ing a  miraculous  intervention  of  God  in  the  order 
of  nature,  for  that  order  already  permits  and  pro- 
vides for  the  restoration  of  withheld  blessings.  Spe- 
cially severe  or  unseasonable  weather  in  one  season, 
destroying  wild  life  on  an  unusual  scale  in  animal  or 
plant,  will  very  probably  secure  compensation  in  the 
succeeding  season ;  the  repression  of  birds,  beasts, 
reptiles,  or  fishes  is  followed  by  what  naturalists  have 
called  a  "bumper  season."  The  failure  of  fruit  in  one 
autumn  leaves  a  handsome  balance  to  the  good  in  un- 
exhausted energies  of  plant  or  tree.  A  peasant  having 
nothing  else  to  complain  about,  complained  of  the 
abundant  harvest  because  "it  took  such  a  power  out  of 
the  earth" ;  he  might  have  consoled  himself  by  the  fact 
that  a  deficient  harvest  leaves  such  a  power  in  the 
earth — a  power  that  in  another  season  will  not  fail 
to  realize  itself.  If  lean  years  follow  fat  years,  fat 
years  follow  lean  ones.  In  mysterious  ways  unused 
forces  are  treasured,  and  years  are  restored  that  the 
caterpillar  wasted. 

123 


124f        DEFERRED    BLESSING 

Bemoaning  unprofitable  years  of  worldliness  and 
sin,  we  may  find  consolation  in  the  text.  Let  us  not 
be  afraid  to  say  this.  It  is  ever  right  and  best  that  we 
love  and  serve  God  in  the  morning  of  life,  but  such  an 
admission  does  not  exclude  the  truth  that  the  grace  of 
God  secures  to  penitent  men  forfeited  blessing.  It  is 
not  altogether  true  that  the  past  is  irrevocable ;  there  is 
truth  in  the  solemn  admonition,  but,  as  so  often  in 
peremptory  axioms,  not  the  whole  truth.  "Where  sin 
abounded,  grace  did  abound  more  exceedingly."  Re- 
tarded gifts  may  break  forth  ultimately  with  unusual 
energy  and  effectiveness,  as  late-flowering  plants  some- 
times bear  uncommonly  splendid  blossoms.  We  all 
know  how  the  sense  of  unprofitable  years  has  spurred 
adult  converts  to  an  all-conquering  intensity  and  enthu- 
siasm in  the  time  that  remains ;  and  we  have  often  seen 
how  the  extraordinary  grace  of  God  granted  to  a  late 
repentance  has  infused  into  the  transformed  character 
surpassing  strength  and  beauty. 

The  curious  fact  has  recently  been  noticed  in  the 
south  of  France  that  the  lilac-trees  whose  leaves  have 
all  dropped  from  green-fly  or  other  pests  bloom  earlier 
and  better  than  any  others.  There  seems  to  be  some 
link  between  the  destruction  of  the  leaves  and  the 
unexpected  crop  of  flowers.  No  horticulturist  would 
therefore  voluntarily  infect  his  orchards  with  blight, 
nor  will  he  shut  his  eyes  to  the  strange  benign  proc- 
esses by  which  evil  is  limited  and  compensated.  Human 
life  does  not  permit  presumption,  but  we  may  never 
forget  that  the  mystery  of  love  is  profounder  even  than 
the  mystery  of  iniquity,  and  that  the  virtue  of  grace 
triumphs  over  the  worst  ravages  of  sin.     St.  Paul's 


DEFERRED     BLESSING         125 

early  years  were  devoured  by  the  caterpillar,  yet, 
through  the  mercy  at  which  the  apostle  never  ceased 
to  wonder,  the  stripped  branches  became  purple  with 
blossom  and  golden  with  fruit  beyond  all  the  trees  of 
the  garden.  The  penitent  is  in  danger  of  being  para- 
lyzed by  the  clamour  of  the  sins  of  past  years,  and  of 
losing  all  heart  and  hope  when  he  broods  over  what  he 
has  rejected,  wasted,  and  perverted;  still,  he  may  take 
courage  at  the  thought  of  the  mercy  wider  than  the 
sea,  of  the  power  that  can  cause  stems  and  boughs 
blasted  by  the  palmer-worm  to  blossom  as  the 
rose. 

The  mysterious  action  of  divine  providence  may 
restore  what  has  been  wasted  by  the  specially  bitter 
and  barren  seasons  of  life.  We  must  not  despair  when 
frost  turns  the  green  leaf  black,  nor  when  the  locust 
devours  it.  Many  get  a  bad  start  in  life.  Owing  to 
various  causes  the  morning  sunshine  is  darkened,  and 
the  season  that  ought  to  be  only  gay  is  embittered  and 
blighted  by  poverty,  unkindness,  sickness,  and  injus- 
tice. The  lives  of  many  little  children  are  terrible. 
Miss  Martineau  complained  that  her  life  had  "no 
spring."  Sad  loss,  indeed!  No  snowdrop  or  violet; 
no  primrose,  cowslip,  or  daffodil ;  the  tender  leaf 
frost-bitten ;  the  singing  birds  dead  in  the  snow.  But 
God  can  more  than  restore  a  lost  spring  in  a  sweet 
summer,  a  gracious  autumn,  a  kindly  winter.  The 
dutiful  child  emerges  out  of  premature  trial  only 
strengthened  by  it,  and  specially  qualified  because  of 
the  dark  background  to  enjoy  the  bright  things  which 
God  hath  prepared  for  them  who  love  Him.  One  of 
the  pictures  in  the  north  gallery  at  Kew  represents  the 


126        DEFERRED    BLESSING 

snowflower  of  California.  Of  an  intense  crimson 
colour,  and  very  large  and  tall,  it  is  a  beautiful  flower ; 
it  is  called  the  "snow-plant"  because  it  springs  directly 
out  of  the  snow,  and  is  most  striking  and  handsome 
growing  out  of  it.  Thus  many  of  the  brightest  Chris- 
tians and  most  distinguished  men  in  society  com- 
menced life  in  the  harshest  conditions,  spent  their  youth 
in  the  most  cruel  environments,  and  yet  bourgeoned 
into  gold  and  purple  through  many  years  of  prosperity 
and  honour. 

Then,  again,  what  we  may  call  the  apprenticeship 
of  life  is  to  many  deserving  young  persons  bitterly 
disappointing  and  exquisitely  painful.  The  brilliant 
hopes  of  earlier  youth  soon  drop  as  blighted  blossoms. 
The  literary  aspirant  is  chilled  by  harsh  criticism,  the 
artist's  pictures  are  curtly  rejected,  the  lawyer  remains 
briefless,  the  physician  waits  in  vain  for  patients,  the 
preacher's  sermons  are  not  well  received,  and  the 
young  shopkeeper  is  disheartened  by  multiplied  diffi- 
culties :  these  early  years  of  one's  career  are  often 
peculiarly  humiliating  and  distressing.  Yet  let  none 
despair,  for  rich  ultimate  blessing  may  come  out  of 
and  atone  for  weary  and  apparently  wasted  days. 
Much  has  been  heard  lately  about  flowers  being  re- 
tarded by  a  cold  process ;  that  they  may  flower  when 
desired,  they  are  kept  for  a  while  in  an  ice-house  at  a 
temperature  somewhere  near  zero,  but  this  severe 
treatment  does  them  no  damage :  on  the  contrary, 
when  they  are  removed  from  the  ice-house  and  de- 
posited in  a  warm  place  they  begin  to  sprout  up  with 
greater  rapidity  for  the  delay,  they  are  more  impervious 
to  unpropitious  conditions,  and  lilacs,  laburnums,  lilies. 


DEFERRED    BLESSING         127 

azaleas,  and  the  rest  are  exhibited  and  crowned  for 
their  exceptional  splendour. 

By  the  providence  of  God,  the  delays  and  postpone- 
ments of  human  fortune  may  be  similarly  recom- 
pensed; the  years  that  the  caterpillar  wasted,  that  the 
frost  retarded,  are  restored  in  fairer,  mellower  fruit. 
And  all  this  is  just  as  true  of  mysterious  failure  and 
barrenness  in  our  intellectual  and  spiritual  culture. 
There  are  times  when  all  effort  seems  abortive,  and  all 
progress  suspended  in  the  higher  life ;  yet  be  certain 
such  honest  endeavour  will  tell  later.  Alfred  Stevens 
says :  "If  you  have  unexpectedly  done  well,  attribute 
your  success  to  the  effect  of  previous  study."  All 
faithful  striving  leaves  a  balance  of  unexpended  force 
in  the  brain  and  heart  which  one  day  will  delightfully 
surprise  us  as  though  it  were  an  immediate  heavenly 
inspiration.  Let  not  young  or  old  despair.  Disap- 
pointment often  means  in  the  end  overflowing  vats, 
and  this  issue  recurs  too  often  to  allow  us  to  believe 
that  it  belongs  to  the  chapter  of  accidents.  Through- 
out life  we  must  hesitate  to  interpret  discouragements 
into  final  and  absolute  defeats.  The  light,  the  rain, 
the  dew  of  God  work  wonders ;  the  locust  shall  be  fol- 
lowed by  the  butterfly  and  bee  and  bird,  the  song  of 
the  vintage  and  the  shout  of  Harvest  Home.  God 
may  restore  to  us  what  the  caterpillar  wasted,  as  He 
did  to  Job. 

Is  there  not  a  truth  in  the  text  touching  the  future 
life?  The  whole  of  this  mortal  career  wears  to  many 
the  character  of  complete  failure,  locusts  mar  it  beyond 
the  possibility  of  any  present  redemption ;  it  is  a  record 
of  unrealized  gifts,  unfulfilled  desires,  vain  strivings, 


113        DEFERRED    BLESSING 

unreached  ideals ;  it  never  comes  to  fruition,  for  hate- 
ful swarms  devour  it.  Does  not  the  hope  of  a  future 
world  come  in  here?  Such  was  the  thought  of  Paul, 
and  the  truer  and  purer  our  heart  the  more  clearly 
this  hope  glows  in  it.  The  years  wasted  here  by  the 
locust  and  palmer-worm  shall  burst  out  in  rare  fruitions 
in  the  glory  everlasting.  The  leaf  consumed  by  the 
pitiless  caterpillar  is  Converted  into  splendid  satin ;  a 
parable,  let  us  say,  of  the  mysterious  processes  by 
which  care,  sickness,  loss,  toil,  suffering,  and  death — 
God's  sombre  alchemists — transmute  the  green  but 
fading  leaves  of  earth's  glory  and  joy  into  the  enduring 
felicities  and  splendours  of  a  higher  sphere  and  a 
grander  life.  Let  us  then  in  the  days  of  deepest 
failure  and  distress  be  true  to  God  and  ourselves. 
Conan  Doyle  justly  observes:  "The  highest  morality 
may  prove  also  to  be  the  highest  wisdom  when  the 
half-told  story  comes  to  be  finished."  This  life  is  "the 
half-told  story."  Let  us  confidently  wait  for  the  other 
half  in  the  heavenly  places,  and  it  will  entirely  justify 
our  faith  and  patience.  "And  ye  shall  eat  in  plenty, 
and  be  satisfied,  and  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord  your 
God,  that  hath  dealt  wondrously  with  you:  and  my 
people  shall  never  be  ashamed." 


XXVIII 

THE  FATUITY  OF  RELIGIOUS 
INDIFFERENCE 

But  they  made  light  of  it,  and  went  their  ways,  one  to  his 
own  farm,  another  to  his  merchandise. — Matt.  xxii.  5. 

THE  imagery  of  this  parable  is  simple,  yet  its 
teaching  is  large  indeed.  Our  Lord  here 
announces  that  in  the  fullness  of  the  times 
God  has  called  the  race  to  fellowship  with  Himself; 
that  He  has  provided  richly  for  its  satisfaction  and 
perfecting;  that  He  has  opened  to  it  a  great  prospect 
of  eternal  life  and  blessedness.  And  just  as  distinctly 
He  teaches  that  the  whole  of  this  divine  purpose,  so 
full  of  grandeur  and  graciousness,  is  to  be  realized 
in  Himself, 

The  invitation  of  the  king  was  differently  received : 
in  one  case  the  invited  maltreated  the  royal  messengers 
and  slew  them,  whilst  others  who  were  called  made 
light  of  the  whole  thing.  Thus  in  all  generations  is 
the  message  of  God  treated — some  scorning  it  with 
anger  and  contempt,  whilst  others  simply  ignore  it. 
Of  this  latter  class,  who  tranquilly  put  aside  the 
message  of  Christ,  we  now  speak.  Much  of  this  levity 
toward  religion  is  found  in  the  spirit  of  our  age.  In 
the  literary  world  we  have  examples  of  this.     Renan 

129 


130  RELIGIOUS   INDIFFERENCE 

in  France  was  long  a  representative  of  this  bantering 
spirit.  He  calls  religion  "the  romance  of  the  infinite." 
God,  Christ,  the  Holy  Spirit,  soul,  conscience,  eternity, 
heaven,  and  hell  are  thrilling  episodes  in  a  gigantic 
fiction,  shadows  which  come  and  go  at  the  beck  of 
priestly  magicians.  The  same  spirit  is  displayed  in 
English  literature.  Well-known  writers  who  have 
little  sympathy  with  supernaturalism  have  nothing 
bitter  to  say  against  religious  faith ;  they  rather  discuss 
it  as  an  innocent  and  beautiful  phase  of  thought  that 
we  ought  not  willingly  to  let  die.  They  treat  it  as 
one  of  the  fine  arts.  It  is  the  inspiration  of  poetry; 
it  may  find  moving  expression  in  oratorios ;  it  provides 
admirable  dramatic  spectacles;  it  is  replete  with  fine 
themes  for  artists.  Others  pleasantly  dismiss  religion 
as  a  useful  illusion.  Lecky  calls  it  "the  romance  of  the 
poor."  It  is  a  pleasant  dream,  perhaps  even  a  useful 
dream,  yet  only  a  dream.  The  Bible  is  charac- 
terized as  a  collection  of  "the  fairy  stories  of  God." 
Pretty  phrase !  Students  of  a  different  taste  or  temper 
would  denounce  it  as  a  fraud,  a  superstition,  a  scandal ; 
but  to  the  gay  spirits  who  have  not  seriousness  enough 
to  be  angry  it  is  a  myth,  a  romance,  a  story  of  pathos 
and  beauty.  They  make  light  of  it.  Agnosticism  ele- 
vates indifference  into  a  philosophy  and  a  religion. 

The  same  levity  is  more  conspicuous  still  in  actual 
life;  thousands  treat  the  gospel  as  though  it  were  a 
romance,  yet  they  would  shrink  from  calling  it  one. 
Science! — that  touches  us.  We  listen  with  eagerness 
and  admiration;  we  are  curious  and  sympathetic;  the 
subject  is  full  of  fascination.  Politics !— here  our  pref- 
erences and  antipathies  are  at  once  evoked;  we  ap- 


RELIGIOUS    INDIFFERENCE  131 

pland,  we  hiss,  our  friends  arc  concerned  lest  party- 
spirit  should  betray  us  into  indiscretion.  Commerce ! 
— we  are  instantly  all  eye  and  ear.  Amusement ! — our 
face  shines,  our  heart  beats,  our  tong-ue  is  loosed.  But 
our  interest  in  religion  is  faint  indeed ;  it  is  a  subject 
that  does  not  charm  or  agitate  in  the  least;  many  a 
romance  stirs  us  more  deeply. 

This  mood  of  levity  is  altogfether  unreasonable. 
How  profoundly  serious  was  Jesus  Christ !  He  was 
so  engrossed  by  the  sense  of  God,  the  things  of  the 
spirit,  the  claims  of  eternity,  that  He  had  little  to  say 
about  anything  else.  He  who  asked  the  question, 
"What  is  a  man  profited  if  he  gain  the  whole  world, 
and  lose  himself?"  ever  lived  and  taught,  feeling  the 
transcendent  importance  of  the  spiritual  state  and 
destiny.  And  are  not  His  doctrines  supremely  signifi- 
cant? Sin  is  no  indiflFerent  matter,  no  light  thing. 
Not  only  is  the  awful  fact  of  disobedience  emphasized 
in  revelation ;  in  the  tragedies  of  Shakespeare,  in  the 
poetry  of  Burns,  as  well  as  in  our  own  hours  of 
deepest  thought,  are  the  reality  and  seriousness  of 
iniquity  brought  into  the  light.  The  doctrine  of  grace, 
revealing  the  secret  of  peace  with  God,  is  no  negligible 
matter.  And  the  relation  of  this  world  to  the  eternal 
state  is  surely  a  question  calculated  to  inspire  solicitude. 
The  Incarnation;  Christ's  pure  teachings,  searching 
appeals,  solemn  warnings,  and  glorious  promises;  His 
noble  life,  His  bloody  sweat  and  passion.  His  death  on 
the  tree,  His  resurrection  and  ascension,  and  His 
coming  in  judgment,  all  these  are  solemn  matters 
entitled  to  be  laid  to  heart,  and  to  be  pondered  by  night 
and  day.    "Is  it  nothing  to  you,  all  ye  that  pass  by  ?" 


132  RELIGIOUS   INDIFFERENCE 

Nazareth,  Olivet,  Gethsemane,  Calvary,  Pentecost! 
The  great  problems  of  life  were  stated  here  as  never 
before;  they  were  solved  here  as  never  before. 

And,  counting  these  things  lightly,  what  do  we 
reckon  serious?  Speaking  of  this  human  life,  Renan 
said :  "There  is  nothing  serious  at  the  bottom."  Well, 
if  things  are  not  serious  at  the  bottom,  they  must  be 
serious  at  the  top.  If  they  are  not  serious  in  the 
depths,  where  the  consciousness  of  God  is,  where  the 
light  of  eternity  breaks  forth,  where  the  infinite  striv- 
ings and  fearings  are,  then  the  seriousness  must  be  on 
the  surface  where  the  beans  and  bacon  are,  the  dress- 
ing and  undressing,  the  huckstering  and  bill-sticking, 
the  dust  and  ashes.  And  this  is  the  sting  of  the  text — 
it  condemns  the  invited  because  they  turn  from  the 
King  and  His  love,  from  the  eternal  kingdom  and  its 
glory,  to  farms  and  merchandise ;  in  other  words, 
it  condemns  us  because  we  renounce  the  divine,  the 
spiritual,  the  eternal,  and  count  the  animal  life  the  only 
serious  thing.  It  is  irrational.  We  ought  to  listen  to 
our  deepest  nature,  and  if  we  do  we  shall  listen  to 
Jesus  Christ. 

The  mood  of  levity  is  a  guilty  mood.  There  is  no 
merit  whatever  in  treating  religion  lightly  rather  than 
offensively,  although  some  persuade  themselves  that 
there  is.  They  think  their  polite  treatment  of  religion 
a  considerable  justification.  They  do  not  stone  the 
messengers,  they  are  courteous,  they  merely  put  the 
invitation  into  the  waste-paper  basket,  and  compliment 
themselves  on  their  reticence  and  taste.  No,  we  are 
not  acquitted  when  we  have  dismissed  Christ  i)olitely. 
There  is  no  greater  sin  than  to  make  light  of  religion — 


RELIGIOUS   INDIFFERENCE  133 

to  reduce  it  to  a  mere  matter  of  taste,  curiosity,  or 
convenience.  "Between  the  poet  who  dreams,  and  the 
faithful  who  believes,  there  is  a  whole  abyss."  Yes, 
the  abyss  of  which  our  Lord  speaks  in  the  parables  of 
Dives  and  Lazarus.  What  can  more  emphatically 
indicate  character  and  provoke  damnation  than  that 
we  should  treat  revelation  as  a  romance,  the  house  of 
God  as  an  opera-house,  religion  as  a  curious  specula- 
tion, and  that  we  should  turn  from  the  mighty  truths 
of  the  Christian  creed  to  eat,  drink,  and  play ! 

How  bitter  was  the  spirit  that  expressed  itself  in 
the  imprecation,  "Crush  the  wretch!"  Renan  never 
spoke  thus  brutally.  He  turned  the  miracles  of  reve- 
lation into  myths,  its  teachings  into  poems,  and  in 
elegant  phrases  peeled  the  .Saviour  of  every  shred  of 
reality  and  divine  glory ;  by  sophistry  and  epigram  he 
made  of  the  Cross  an  intellectual  plaything:  but  he 
was  never  rude.  How  much  better  is  Renan  than  Vol- 
taire? As  much  as  the  kiss  of  Judas  is  better  than  the 
blow  of  the  Roman  soldier.  We  have  civilly  dismissed 
the  appeal  of  God  in  Christ,  that  is  all,  and  it  is  enough. 
"None  of  these  men  shall  taste  of  my  supper." 

The  mood  of  levity  is  specially  hopeless.  The  friv- 
olous are  the  last  to  be  reached.  After  visiting  many 
cities  Paul  came  to  Athens,  and  preached  with  un- 
common eloquence.  Nowhere  did  he  fail  more  com- 
pletely. The  Athenians  were  talkative,  flippant, 
curious,  vain,  and  the  apostle  made  no  impression 
upon  them.  As  Dr.  Stalker  observes :  "He  quitted 
Athens,  and  never  returned  to  it.  Nowhere  else  has 
he  so  completely  failed.  His  message  roused  neither 
interest  nor  opposition.    The  Athenians  never  thought 


134  RELIGIOUS   INDIFFERENCE 

of  persecuting  him ;  they  simply  did  not  care  what  the 
babbler  said.  This  cold  disdain  cut  him  more  than  the 
stones  of  the  mob  or  the  lictors'  rods."  He  who  had 
more  or  less  success  in  Corinth,  Ephesus,  and  Rome, 
failed  in  Athens.  Any  hearer  may  be  reached  sooner 
than  he  who  treats  religion  with  placid  tolerance,  dis- 
eased indifference,  or  complaisant  nonchalance. 


XXIX 
THE  SLEEPING  SICKNESS 

Jt  is  high  time  for  you  to  awake  out  of  sleep. — Rom.  xiii.  il. 

INSOMNIA  is  considered  a  modern  malady.  So 
intense  is  the  strain  of  life  that  we  become 
nervous  and  restless ;  we  resemble  a  piano  after  a 
railway  journey,  and  anything  like  healthy  repose  is 
out  of  the  question.  We  may  lay  our  head  on  the 
pillow ;  but,  unstrung  and  morbid,  we  toss  to  and  fro 
through  the  hours  of  darkness,  and  in  the  end  not 
improbably  are  driven  to  sleeping  draughts  to  secure 
the  slumber  we  cannot  otherwise  woo.  But  the  natives 
of  Africa  are  afflicted  with  an  exactly  opposite  malady ; 
attacked  by  overpowering  drowsiness  it  is  impossible 
to  keep  the  patients  awake,  they  sleep  on  through  days 
and  weeks,  and  to  many  of  them  the  stupor  proves  the 
sleep  of  death. 

The  plague  of  physical  sleeping  sickness  is  rare 
amongst  our  countrymen,  but  other  forms  of  it  are 
familiar  enough.  There  is  a  political  and  economical 
apathy.  Not  long  ago  one  of  our  princes  recently 
returned  from  foreign  travel  produced  a  great  sensa- 
tion by  calling  upon  England  to  "wake  up."  He  had 
become  aware  that  his  countrymen  were  yielding  to  a 
spirit  of  complacency  and  self-indulgence,  and  that 

185 


136  THE    SLEEPING    SICKNESS 

other  nations  were  outstripping  us  in  intelligence  and 
enterprise.  Dozing  on  the  couch  we  were  in  peril  of 
being  eclipsed.  He  conjured  us  to  arouse  ourselves,  to 
get  the  mist  out  of  our  eyes,  the  haziness  out  of  our 
brain,  the  torpor  out  of  our  limbs,  to  appraise  facts  at 
their  just  value,  and  see  to  it  that  we  did  not  suffer 
an  international  competition.  The  sleeping  giant  must 
bestir  himself  ere  he  is  shorn  of  the  locks  of  his 
strength.  Intellectual  apathy  sometimes  afflicts  us. 
Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  writing  to  a  friend,  complains : 
"You  cannot  sleep ;  well,  I  can  best  explain  my  state 
thus :  I  cannot  wake."  Mentally  he  was  at  the  oppo- 
site pole  to  insomnia ;  troubled  by  a  nervous  lethargy, 
an  unwholesome  somnolence,  his  head  and  eyes,  intel- 
lectually speaking,  were  heavy,  and  he  was  unable  to 
do  justice  to  his  genius.  Most  orators,  artists,  and 
poets  are  overtaken  at  times  by  this  mental  stupor.  They 
cannot  see  strongly ;  their  faculty  is  not  entirely  alert ; 
their  touch  lacks  sureness  and  delicacy,  and  they  are 
conscious  that  in  consequence  of  this  sluggishness  of 
the  brain  their  work  misses  the  magic  of  perfect  art. 

Yet,  is  not  the  spiritually-minded  man  most  con- 
scious of  this  fatal  infirmity  of  sleep?  Soporifics  pro- 
duce confusion  and  illusion,  yet  in  such  times  of  partial 
insensibility  devout  men  have  a  sense  of  uneasiness 
that  they  are  not  at  their  best,  that  they  are  not  realiz- 
ing anything  like  the  power  and  pleasure  of  their  high 
calling.  Looking  on  God's  glorious  world  we  are 
haunted  by  a  conviction  that  we  ought  to  descry  more 
in  it  than  we  do.  Reading  His  Word,  with  all  our 
sense  of  delight  in  its  infinite  meaning  and  precious- 
ness  there  mingles  a  feeling  of  distress  that  we  appre- 


THE     SLEEPING    SICKNESS     137 

hend  it  only  faintly,  as  a  student  who  nods  over  a 
masterpiece.  In  the  sanctuary  we  struggle  with  dull- 
ness and  are  constrained  to  confess,  God  is  in  this 
place,  and  I  know  it  not  as  I  ought  to  know.  And  in 
daily  life  our  heart  is  continually  condemning  us, 
because,  whilst  we  watch  the  mechanism  of  the  divine 
government,  we  only  by  fits  and  starts  catch  bare 
glimpses  of  the  Spirit  in  the  midst  of  the  wheels. 
Yes ;  a  great  spiritual  universe  infolds  us — this  we 
know,  of  this  we  are  as  sure  as  we  are  of  the  existence 
of  the  tangible  sphere — yet  such  is  the  apathy  of  the 
interior  sense  that  we  cannot  get  steady  sight  of  eternal 
realities  and  delight  ourselves  in  the  discovery.  We 
grope  in  worlds  unrealized,  and  more  cannot  truthfully 
be  said  of  us.  A  "half-awakened  child  of  man"  is  the 
poet's  portrait  of  us,  and  it  is  true.  Tantalizing  and 
humiliating  situation !  To  be  mastered  by  bodily  sleep 
when  strong  reasons  urge  us  to  remain  alert,  to  be  thus 
caught  and  buffeted  between  the  mind  and  the  body, 
is  a  miserable  dilemma  in  which  we  sometimes  find 
ourselves ;  and  this  nebulous  and  perplexing  state  very 
closely  represents  the  unhappy  condition  of  our 
spiritual  life.  We  are  cursed  with  the  sleeping  sick- 
ness of  the  soul ;  our  organ  of  spiritual  vision  catches 
only  stray  gleams  of  the  mystic  effulgence  hailed  by 
prophets  and  poets,  saints  and  seers ;  the  light  that  is 
in  us  is  darkness.  We  are  like  a  bulb  stirring  in  the 
dark,  yet  unable  to  flower;  like  a  bird  agitated  by  an 
instinct  of  the  sky,  yet  imprisoned  in  the  shell ;  like  a 
sleeper  whose  eyes  troubled  by  the  morning  are  yet 
withheld  by  nightmare.  Shakespeare  tells  of  superb 
music  filling  the  universe — 


138     THE     SLEEPING     SICKNESS 

But  whilst  this  muddy  vesture  of  decay 
Doth  grossly  close  us  in,  we  cannot  hear  it. 

Physical  restrictions,  the  opacity  of  the  senses,  the 
infirmity  of  a  yet  undisciphned  mind,  conceal  from  us 
rarer  aspects  and  harmonies  of  the  world,  and  herein 
we  are  not  greatly  to  blame ;  but,  unless  we  fabricate 
it  for  ourselves,  no  muddy  vesture  of  decay  doth 
grossly  close  us  in,  and  make  us  blind  and  deaf  to  the 
Holiest  in  the  height  and  to  the  ineffable  beauty  and 
music  of  His  presence.  The  muddiness  of  soul  which 
forbids  us  penetrating  to  the  other  side  is  a  guilty 
stupefaction,  and  of  this  we  are  more  or  less  conscious. 

Some  Christian  disciples  have  the  added  pang  that 
they  are  less  sensitive  to  the  presence  and  stimulation 
of  a  higher  world  than  they  once  were.  Addressing 
the  Birmingham  University,  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  declared 
that,  "The  average  schoolboy  of  to-day  was  ignorant. 
The  eager  and  inquiring  child  had  by  some  process  been 
turned,  or  had  turned  himself,  into  the  intellectually 
dull,  apathetic,  indolent  professional  schoolboy."  Has 
not  a  somewhat  similar  but  far  sadder  transformation 
;aken  place  in  some  of  us?  It  is  ever  a  mournful 
thing  that  the  process  of  years  should  spoil  the  fresh- 
ness of  our  intellectual  life,  quench  its  poetry,  silence 
its  curiosity,  and  degrade  it  to  coarse  issues;  but  it  is 
infinitely  more  melancholy  when  we  permit  our  con- 
tact with  the  world  to  cloud  the  visions  and  ideals  of 
the  soul,  and  to  rob  us  of  that  sensitiveness  and  aspira- 
tion of  our  religious  childhood  which  gave  us  entrance 
into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

To  become  awake  to  the  over-world  and  greater 
life   is  largely  a  question  of  personal   sincerity  and 


THE     SLEEPING    SICKNESS     139 

decision.  Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  the  commentator,  was 
well  known  as  an  early  riser.  A  young  preacher  re- 
gretted his  inability  to  follow  the  doctor's  example, 
and  was  anxious  to  know  the  secret  of  his  success. 
"Do  you  pray  about  it?"  inquired  the  youth.  "No," 
was  the  reply ;  "I  get  up."  Sincerity  and  purpose  have 
also  much  to  do  with  shaking  off  the  slumber  of  the 
soul.  If  we  would  direct  our  mind  to  the  greater  life 
as  assiduously  as  we  woo  the  passive  condition,  we 
should  soon  be  open-eyed  to  heavenly  sights.  Men 
rise  early  in  the  morning  because  they  yield  place  and 
play  to  larger  motives  than  sensual  sloth  and  indulg- 
ence ;  and  if  we  allow  the  great  thoughts  and  motives 
of  eternity  permanent  place  in  our  mind  and  heart,  no 
drowsiness  of  indifference  shall  steal  over  us,  nor 
stupor  of  materialism  betray  us,  nor  intoxication  of 
pride  or  pleasure  lull  us  to  fatal  sleep.  Are  we  really 
persuaded  of  the  imperativeness  of  the  spiritual  life? 
Do  we  give  the  highest  things  daily  opportunity  to 
occupy,  fascinate,  enthuse  us,  and  to  grow  upon  us 
in  majesty  and  desirableness?  Sleepers  awake  when 
they  really  wish  to  awake. 

To  become  fully  alive  to  the  greater  life  is  to  be  on 
our  guard  against  the  lower  life.  "Let  us  cast  off  the 
works  of  darkness."  "Let  us  walk  honestly  as  in  the 
day."  Study  these  verses.  How  can  we  awake  if  we 
go  on  dosing  ourselves  with  narcotics !  If  we  permit 
the  breath  of  impurity  to  tarnish  our  imagination, 
the  pure  light  of  heaven  will  not  shine  through  it;  if 
we  abide  in  a  sandstorm  of  worldliness,  we  forfeit  the 
stars;  if  we  surrender  to  dreams  of  ambition,  greed, 
and  appetite,  the  purple  dawn  of  the  everlasting  day 


140     THE     SLEEPING     SICKNESS 

breaks  upon  us  in  vain.  Oh,  for  power  to  awake ! 
Lord,  that  I  might  awake!  "Now,  Peter  and  they 
that  were  with  Him  were  heavy  with  sleep;  but  when 
they  were  fully  awake  they  saw  His  glory."  Alas  for 
us  if  we  give  place  to  indolence  and  insensibility! 
"Lest  when  He  cometh  He  findeth  them  sleeping." 
The  Greek  general,  finding  a  sentinel  asleep  at  his 
post,  plunged  a  dagger  into  his  heart,  protesting:  "I 
found  you  asleep,  and  I  leave  you  so." 

Lord,  wake  me  up;  rend  swift  my  coffin-planks; 
I  pray  Thee,  let  me  live — alive  and  free. 


XXX 
THE  EFFICACY  OF  JOY 

To  the  chief  singer  on  my  stringed  instruments. — Hab.  iii.  19. 

SCHOPENHAUER  disliked  the  Jews  because 
they  were  optimistic,  and,  if  optimism  is  a  fault, 
not  without  reason.  A  celebrated  German  physi- 
cian used  to  pursue  his  studies  through  the  night  with 
a  couple  of  skeletons  holding  the  candles ;  it  is  very 
patent  that  the  psalms  and  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment were  not  written  in  any  such  ghastly  environ- 
ment and  atmosphere.  Despair  with  the  sexton's  lamp 
did  not  make  the  darkness  visible  to  Moses,  David, 
and  Isaiah ;  in  the  light  of  Hope's  torch  they  construed 
the  blackest  problems,  and  dedicated  tragedy  and  dirge 
to  the  chief  singer  on  the  stringed  instruments.  And 
if  hope  and  cheerfulness  characterize  the  contents  of 
the  Old  Testament,  an  intenser  peace  breathes  in  the 
doctrines  of  the  New.  No  longer  are  dark  themes 
relieved  by  torchlight ;  they  are  softened  and  solved  in 
the  golden  light  of  a  heavenly  day.  At  the  heart  of 
revelation  throbs  a  mighty  blessedness  and  hope. 

This  optimism  is  justified  by  our  deepest  instinct 
and  philosophy.  Human  consciousness  bears  witness 
that  the  profoundest  thing  in  the  universe  is  the  thing 
whose  essence  is  purity  and  whose  expression  is  beauty 

141 


142      THE    EFFICACY     OF    JOY 

and  peace.  We  naturally,  that  is  necessarily,  believe 
in  gladness  as  we  do  in  freedom.  The  world  is  neither 
clear  nor  dark,  and  therefore  intellectual  men  debate 
as  to  whether  it  is  a  wedding-robe  with  a  crape  hem, 
or  a  shroud  with  an  embroidered  border ;  but  the  unso- 
phisticated discern  that  its  warp  and  woof  are  threads 
of  gold  throughout,  only  mysteriously  rent  and  blotted. 
The  fundamental  principles  of  nature  and  life  are  truth 
and  love,  happiness  and  hope.  Many  lurid  clouds 
threaten  us,  yet  after  all  the  blue  sky  is  the  main  thing, 
not  the  blue  lightning ;  the  sky  is  more  than  all  clouds ; 
and,  indeed,  we  should  not  know  that  the  storm  was 
black  had  we  not  first  known  that  the  sky  was  blue; 
for,  as  Shakespeare  puts  it — 

The  more  fair  and  crystal  is  the  sky, 
The  uglier  seem  the  clouds  that  in  it  fly. 

Reeking  pools,  slimy  marshes,  and  muddy  rivers  defile 
the  landscape ;  but  the  crystal  sea  is  the  grand  feature 
of  the  planet,  and  its  infinite  purity  and  beauty  show 
how  limited  and  exceptional  foulness  is.  We  grope 
in  deep  shadows  and  gloomy  places,  yet  is  the  shining 
sun  the  sovereign  reality;  there  are  dark  suns,  and  if 
our  central  orb  had  been  one  of  these  in  vain  should 
we  have  kindled  sparks ;  but  a  sight  of  our  sun  makes 
us  smile  at  the  blackest  night  and  the  bitterest  winter. 
Our  God  is  "the  happy  God" ;  the  central  universe  is 
one  of  light  and  music;  the  core  and  ideal  of  things 
are  truth,  beauty,  and  peace ;  and  the  partial  blemishes 
and  disorders  which  distress  us  shall  not  destroy  our 
faith  and  joy.  The  pessimist  may  industriously  stir 
his  puddle,  but  we  console  ourselves  with  the  Atlantic ; 


THE    EFFICACY    OF    JOY      143 

he  may  exaggerate  the  thunder-cloud,  but  we  soothe 
ourselves  with  the  eternal  azure ;  with  Calaban  he  may 
shudder  in  the  eclipse,  but  we  warm  ourselves  in  the 
sun  that  shall  no  more  go  down.  And  if  instinct  and 
philosophy  justify  a  happy  soul,  much  more  is  that  true 
of  revelation,  as  already  hinted. 

Joyfulness  has  never  been  the  ideal  of  the  Christian 
world,  nor  is  it  now.  The  mass  of  godly  people  feel 
that  there  is  something  malefic  in  humour,  that  laughter 
partakes  of  the  nature  of  sin,  and  a  snore  in  a  congre- 
gation is  more  easily  condoned  than  a  smile.  An 
ancient  law  banished  roses  from  Jerusalem,  and  that 
law  is  considerably  in  force  in  the  Christian  church. 
Seriousness  is  always  thought  to  be  much  nearer  akin 
to  melancholy  than  to  mirth.  All  of  which  is  a  serious 
misconception.  Robert  Louis  Stevenson  uttered  a 
really  profound  truth  when  he  wrote :  "To  be  happy  is 
the  first  step  to  being  pious."  It  would  be  a  grand 
thing  indeed  if  the  godly  could  finally  rid  themselves 
of  the  superstition  of  sadness,  and  show  the  world  the 
virtue  of  Christianity  in  bringing  to  perfection  all  the 
elements  of  gaiety  which  beautify  the  soul  and  life. 
The  Christian  world  has  never  yet  mustered  courage 
to  let  itself  go ;  it  has  never  given  free  expression  to 
the  mighty  gladness  which  stirs  its  heart.  Herein  it 
has  seriously  discredited  its  faith.  Whatever,  notwith- 
standing, may  have  been  the  mistake  of  the  Church, 
the  gospel  is  full  of  the  spirit  and  power  of  holy 
gladness,  and  once  grant  it  free  course  it  will  express 
itself  in  every  jubilant  form  and  accent.  Our  Lord 
Himself  is  "the  chief  singer"  who,  on  the  rudest  of 
instruments,  has  harmonized  the  discords  of  the  world, 


144      THE    EFFICACY     OF    JOY 

and  who  imparts  the  secret  of  melody  and  mirth  to  all 
who  can  receive  it. 

Joyfulness  of  spirit  is  most  efficacious  as  against 
temptation  and  sin.  The  Greek  had  a  happy  creed,  but 
that  creed  chiefly  contemplated  intellectual  and  sensa- 
tional pleasure,  and  it  rather  fostered  selfish  and 
sensual  indulgence.  The  Christian  creed  is  also  happy, 
but  with  happiness  of  another  order,  and  going  far 
deeper ;  first  concerning  itself  with  the  soundness  of 
the  heart,  and  contemplating  chiefly  the  noble  pleasure 
of  unselfish  and  righteous  conduct ;  and  thus  becoming 
a  splendid  safeguard  against  illegal  enjoyment  of  every 
kind.  A  simple  joyous  Christian  heart  instinctively 
shrinks  from  selfish  sensual  indulgence;  and  just  as 
instinctively  it  regulates  all  legitimate  delights  and 
solicitations  of  a  subordinate  order.  There  is  wonder- 
ful preservative  virtue  in  true  joy ;  it  may  to  a  super- 
ficial glance  seem  altogether  too  poetic  to  be  trusted 
with  serious  interest,  yet  it  is  the  very  key  of  our 
defence  and  salvation.  The  New  Testament  confides 
the  most  serious  interests  and  consequences  to  appar- 
ently the  slenderest  guarantees.  Thankfulness  may  be 
counted  a  flimsy  sentiment,  yet  when  the  Apostle  Paul 
imputes  the  enormities  of  the  Gentile  world  to  the  lack 
of  it  we  perceive  its  immense  significance  in  regard  to 
character  and  destiny.  Mild  peace  masks  military 
mastery  of  the  first  order,  for  it  garrisons  the  heart. 
But  the  practical  love  is  reckoned  a  frail  emotion,  yet 
on  that  tenuous  thread  Heaven  suspends  universal 
virtue.  And  the  all-conquering  strength  which  van- 
quishes world,  flesh,  and  devil  is  a  mystic  thrill  known 
as  "the  joy  of  the  Lord."    True  delight  in  God  is  not 


THE    EFFICACY    OF    JOY       145 

weak,  for  it  combines  within  itself  all  the  strength  of 
the  intellect,  all  the  vigour  of  the  will,  all  the  invinci- 
bleness  of  the  affections ;  it  is  the  very  health,  power, 
and  perfection  of  the  soul ;  and  we  are  never  safer  from 
sin  than  when  a  holy  joy  sparkles  in  our  eyes  and 
vibrates  on  our  tongue. 

Joyfulness  is  the  availing  specific  against  sorrow. 
A  thoroughgoing  realization  of  the  bright  things  and 
seasons  of  life  is  the  best  preparation  for  the  dark  days, 
and  no  one  is  fortified  against  the  dark  days  who  has 
not  fully  enjoyed  the  bright  ones.  The  summer 
flowers  which  survive  through  the  autumn  bear  the 
chills  of  approaching  winter  much  better  than  the 
flowers  of  autumn  do ;  the  summer  flowers  drenched  in 
the  long  sunshine  have  a  fuller  vitality  than  the  autumn 
blooms  which  enjoyed  only  the  fainter  light  of  the 
shorter  day,  and  the  favoured  children  of  the  sun  best 
brave  the  gathering  cold  and  darkness.  So  men  best 
sustain  the  trying  seasons  of  life  who  enjoyed  most 
heartily  its  privileged  hours,  who  stood  well  out  of 
the  shade,  and  drank  in  at  every  pore  the  golden  sun- 
shine of  life's  summer  days.  If  happy  days  are  vouch- 
safed, raise  your  vitality  to  the  highest  by  their  full 
enjoyment.  If  threatened  by  misfortune,  confront  it 
as  Habakkuk  did,  with  a  trustful  song.  If  tribulation 
overtakes  you,  disperse  or  sanctify  it  in  the  power  of 
a  smiling  confidence  and  holy  joy.  As  the  Orientals 
put  it:  "By  dint  of  laughing  the  roses  are  opened." 
They  who  come  to  Zion  with  songs  "obtain  joy  and 
gladness,  and  sorrow  and  sighing  flee  away." 

Joyfulness  is  the  best  inspiration  for  obedience  and 
service.    "Serve  the  Lord  with  gladness ;  come  before 


146      THE    EFFICACY     OF    JOY 

His  presence  with  singing."  Only  as  we  attain  to 
gladness  are  duty,  work,  suffering,  and  sacrifice  accom- 
plished at  their  best.  Leonardo  da  Vinci  painted,  they 
say,  holding  a  lyre  in  one  hand ;  and  everybody  knows 
that  he  painted  superbly.  Holding  a  lyre  in  our  hand, 
paths  of  duty  bloom  into  paths  of  primroses:  holding 
a  lyre  in  our  hand,  whatever  work  is  done  by  the  other 
hand  is  a  masterpiece ;  holding  a  lyre  in  our  hand,  the 
sacrifice  is  forgotten  in  the  garlands;  holding  a  lyre 
in  our  hand,  the  sponge  dipped  in  vinegar  changes  to 
a  honeycomb. 


XXXI 
A  HUMAN  DOCUMENT 

Wherefore  doth  a  living  man  complain^  a  man  for  the  pun- 
ishment of  his  sins?  Let  us  search  and  try  our  ways,  and 
turn  again  to  the  Lord. — Lam.  iii.  39,  40. 

THE  natural  man  resents  his  afflictions.  He  is 
ever  asking,  Why  do  I  suffer?  Why  do  I 
suffer  thus?  He  regards  his  sufferings  as 
partaking  of  the  nature  of  injustice;  he  considers  him- 
self the  victim  of  misfortune,  rather  than  the  subject  of 
correction.  Enlightened  men  know  better  than  this; 
they  recognize  an  element  of  justice  in  their  tribulation, 
and  know  within  themselves  how  little  reason  they 
have  to  complain. 

Whenever  we  are  brought  to  the  right  point  of  view, 
we  are  in  some  sense  penitents.  We  no  longer  argue 
as  though  we  were  innocent  and  meritorious,  but  under- 
lying all  our  reasonings  and  conclusions  is  the  con- 
sciousness of  personal  fault  and  demerit.  The  self- 
righteous  and  self-satisfied  are  astonished  when  brought 
into  deep  waters ;  it  is  an  experience  entirely  out  of 
harmony  with  their  complacent  mood ;  but  when  under 
the  stress  of  inward  or  outward  trouble  we  "search 
and  try  our  ways,"  we  are  not  surprised  by  anything  we 
suffer.     And  testing  our  life  in  the  light  of  the  holy 

147 


148        A    HUMAN    DOCUMENT 

law  we  do  not  construe  trial  as  though  it  were  an  un- 
lucky accident,  but  we  accept  it  as  partaking  of  the 
nature  of  chastisement  and  retribution.  In  Oscar 
Wilde's  pathetic  prison  book,  which  has  recently  ex- 
cited much  attention,  we  read :  "The  fact  of  my  having 
been  the  common  prisoner  of  a  common  jail  I  must 
frankly  accept,  and,  curious  as  it  may  seem,  one  of  the 
things  I  shall  have  to  teach  myself  is  not  to  be  ashamed 
of  it.  I  must  accept  it  as  a  punishment,  and  if  one  is 
ashamed  of  having  been  punished  one  might  just  as 
well  never  have  been  punished  at  all.  Of  course,  there 
are  many  things  of  which  I  was  convicted  that  I  had 
not  done;  but,  then,  there  are  many  things  of  which 
I  was  convicted  that  I  had  done,  and  a  still  greater 
number  of  things  in  my  life  for  which  I  was  never  in- 
dicted at  all.  ...  I  must  say  to  myself  that  I  ruined 
myself,  and  that  nobody  great  or  small  can  be  ruined 
except  by  his  own  hand.  I  am  quite  ready  to  say  so. 
This  pitiless  indictment  I  bring  without  pity  against 
myself.  Terrible  as  was  what  the  world  did  to  me, 
what  I  did  to  myself  was  far  more  terrible  still."  With 
similar  reproaches  are  the  afflicted  souls  of  the  awak- 
ened ever  filled  as  they  remind  themselves  of  the  sins 
of  past  years.  And  this  sense  of  personal  unworthi- 
ness  checks  all  complaining ;  makes  the  penitent  indeed 
thankful  for  bitter  things  which  the  carnal  bemoan. 

Not  only  do  the  enlightened  detect  in  their  suffer- 
ings the  working  of  a  general  law  of  retribution,  but 
they  can  often  trace  the  connexion  between  their 
humiliations  and  sufferings  and  their  specific  personal 
sinfulness.  "A  man  for  the  punishment  of  his  sins." 
We  may  be  fully  assured  that  there  is  exquisite  exact- 


A    HUMAN    DOCUMENT         149 

ness  and  discrimination  in  the  working  of  the  law  of 
retribution  as  in  the  action  of  all  divine  law;  it  does 
sometimes  appear  as  though  the  law  of  retribution 
were  peculiarly  blind  and  sweeping,  but  truly  the 
wheels  which  graze  or  grind  are  full  of  eyes,  and  ex- 
quisite justice  regulates  their  every  movement.  The 
Harvard  Astronomical  Observatory  at  Cambridge, 
Massachusetts,  recently  secured  the  first  successful  pho- 
tograph of  a  spectrum  of  lightning,  the  astronomer 
thus  being  able  to  analyze  the  fire  of  the  tempest,  and 
to  determine  what  elements  enter  into  its  composition : 
subsequently  several  excellent  photographs  of  light- 
ning flashes  were  taken,  and  a  later  study  of  their 
spectra  brought  out  the  interesting  fact  that  they  were 
not  exactly  similar.  We  are  morally  certain  that  if, 
in  some  similar  manner,  it  were  possible  to  analyze 
the  judgments  of  God,  to  enter  into  their  causes,  ele- 
ments, and  workings,  we  should  find  wise  and  delicate 
differentiations.  As  one  lightning  flash  differs  in  char- 
acter from  another,  so  there  is  ever  something  personal 
and  unique  in  the  tribulations  by  which  the  Father  of 
spirits  disciplines  His  children. 

The  sensitive  soul  often  discerns  the  subtle  relation 
between  its  sin  and  punishment.  Others  may  not  at 
all  understand  the  relation ;  they  may  not  suspect  it,  but 
the  godly  know  why  their  Father  has  taken  them  to 
task,  and  they  see  the  personal  significance  of  their 
trial.  To  none  living  may  they,  perhaps,  speak  of  it; 
yet  they  can  hardly  be  mistaken  as  they  trace  the  ob- 
scure connexion  between  the  faults  of  which  they 
know  themselves  guilty,  and  what,  to  others,  appear 
causeless   and   purposeless   sorrows.     In   this   respect 


150         A    HUMAN     DOCUMENT 

the  heart  knows  its  own  bitterness.  We  make  the 
greatest  and  most  painful  mistakes  when  we  gratui- 
tously undertake  to  give  reasons  for  the  afflictions  of 
our  neighbours,  as  Job's  friends  did;  but  to  find  the 
reason  for  our  private  sorrow  in  our  personal  sin  is 
a  humbling  task  for  which  we  are  often  sorrowfully 
qualified. 

The  truly  enlightened  do  not  complain,  because  they 
apprehend  sharply  that  their  punishment  is  less  than 
their  desert.  "Wherefore  doth  a  living  man  com- 
plain?" The  fact  that  we  are  alive  is  immediate  and 
sufficient  evidence  of  the  divine  forbearance.  "It  is 
of  the  Lord's  mercies  that  we  are  not  consumed,  be- 
cause His  compassions  fail  not."  "But  though  He 
cause  grief,  yet  will  He  have  compassion  according  to 
the  multitude  of  His  mercies.  For  He  doth  not  afflict 
willingly  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men."  All  this 
the  humbled  soul  is  made  to  understand,  and  to  lay 
to  heart.  Where  is  the  reasonableness  of  complaint 
when  the  just  and  extreme  sentence  has  not  been  exe- 
cuted? He  who  has  been  excused  a  plank  bed  does 
not  fret  at  a  crumpled  rose-leaf.  He  who  has  escaped 
the  gallows  does  not  murmur  at  the  tread-mill.  He 
who  is  pardoned  the  hemlock-cup  does  not  resent  the 
wormwood  and  the  gall.  "He  hath  not  dealt  with  us 
after  our  sins,  nor  rewarded  us  according  to  our  in- 
iquities." No,  the  truly  enlightened  man  does  not 
complain  of  the  punishment  of  his  sins ;  what  troubles 
him  far  more  are  the  sins  that  go  unpunished.  The 
sense  of  chastisement  gives  inward  relief;  but  the 
secret  distress  of  many  is  that,  whilst  others  are  being 
bitterly  and  openly  punished,  they  have  escaped  detec- 


A    HUMAN    DOCUMENT         151 

tion  and  judgment — nay,  that  they  continue  to  be 
honoured  and  blessed  in  a  thousand  ways.  This  is  the 
fact  that  keenly  troubles  most  noble  yet  erring  souls. 
Let  us,  however,  leave  all  our  sins  with  Him  who  abun- 
dantly pardons.  "Let  us  search  and  try  our  ways,  and 
turn  again  to  the  Lord.  Let  us  lift  up  our  heart  with 
our  hands  unto  God  in  the  heavens." 


XXXII 

THE  DISCIPLINE  OF  THE 
DISAGREEABLE 

5*0  then  am  'I  become  your  enemy,  because  I  tell  you  the 
truth  f — Gal,  iv.  i6. 

NOT  long  ago  we  had  a  most  dismal  summer 
season,  and  the  papers  reported  that  it  wit- 
nessed a  record  pawning  of  barometers. 
People  got  depressed  by  looking  at  the  face  of  the  in- 
strument, the  hand  of  which  invariably  indicated  a  con- 
tinuance of  unsettled  weather.  So  when  money  ran 
short,  and  it  was  found  necessary  to  part  with  some- 
thing, the  barometer  was  the  first  item  to  be  selected. 
Some  pawnbrokers,  it  was  said,  had  such  a  glut  in 
these  pledges  that  they  declined  to  advance  money  on 
any  more.  This  funny  episode  in  the  human  comedy 
condenses  into  a  quaint  image  an  undeniable  feature 
of  our  poor  nature — an  impatience  with  whatever 
thrusts  upon  us  unwelcome  truth. 

International  criticism  is  usually  resented  and  re- 
torted. In  a  speech  at  Calcutta  University  Lord  Cur- 
zon  treated  the  native  students  to  some  plain  speaking 
about  the  besetting  Oriental  tendency  to  take  liberties 
with  the  truth.  This  was  more  than  the  self-love  of 
the  Bengali  could  bear,  and  forthwith  the  native  news- 

152 


DISCIPLINE   OF   THE   DISAGREEABLE  153 

papers  teemed  with  invective ;  no  sooner  did  the  quick- 
silver fall  than  the  barometer  lost  its  popularity.  The 
Cretans  would  not  prize  the  native  instrument  whose 
index  finger  fastened  on  their  national  failing,  nor 
would  the  apostle  have  been  popular  who  gave  his 
testimony  to  its  verdict.  And  this  is  the  usual  con- 
sequence of  international  candour. 

Not  long  ago  a  distinguished  Metropolitan  minister 
suggested  that  a  section  of  the  working  classes  was 
specially  lacking  in  industry,  temperance,  and  godli- 
ness ;  the  impeachment  was  promptly  and  indignantly 
resented,  stones  were  thrown,  and  the  barometer  came 
near  to  being  smashed.  If  the  rich  do  not  with  equal 
demonstration  repudiate  criticism,  it  must  be  owing  to 
the  fact  that  long  ago  they  sent  the  steadily  unflattering 
glass  to  the  pawnbroker,  supposing  they  ever  dispose 
of  things  in  that  quarter.  The  various  religious  de- 
nominations do  not  relish  neighbourly  analysis  and 
advice.  And  so  far  as  concerns  the  individual,  to  see 
ourselves  as  others  see  us  is  rarely  reckoned  a  privi- 
lege. We  are  usually  hugely  ofifended  when  our  per- 
sonal defects  in  grammar,  pronunciation,  manners,  or 
matters  of  similar  import  are  corrected ;  and  the  an- 
noyance is  yet  more  intense  when  the  deeper  imper- 
fections of  our  character  are  challenged.  Few  can 
bear  with  anything  like  good  nature  any  hint  of  their 
serious  infirmities. 

We  decline  practically  to  listen  to  our  friends.  "Am 
I  become  your  enemy,  because  I  deal  truly  with  you  ?" 
The  Galatians  received  the  apostle  as  an  angel  of  God 
when  he  came  with  a  general  message  of  grace ;  yet 
he  no  sooner  ventured  to  remonstrate  with  them  on 


154  DISCIPLINE  OF  THE  DISAGREEABLE 

account  of  their  error  and  prejudice  than  they  harshlv 
withstood  him.  Whilst  our  friends  administer  syrups, 
they  charm;  but  we  suspect  their  species  the  moment 
we  catch  the  smatch  of  a  tonic  in  their  intercourse. 
And  with  most  of  us  it  is  entirely  out  of  the  question 
that  we  should  be  willing  to  be  taught  by  our  enem.y. 
The  excuses  tendered  for  resenting  criticism  are  amus- 
ingly ingenious  and  sophistical.  The  suggestion  of 
our  fault  was  unseasonable ;  the  spirit  in  which  it  was 
made  was  not  nice ;  our  alleged  failing  was  exagger- 
ated ;  the  critic  ought  first  to  have  taken  the  beam  out 
of  his  own  eye.  By  a  thousand  transparent  demurs  we 
rob  ourselves  of  the  benefit  of  current  personal  ad- 
monition. 

Are  we  not  extremely  inconsistent  and  foolish  in 
this  touchiness  and  resentment?  We  are  not  irritable 
after  this  sort  if  there  is  any  chance  of  the  removal  of 
blemishes  in  our  personal  appearance  of  bodily  health. 
We  treat  handsomely  the  artist  who  frees  us  from  a 
wart,  smooths  out  a  wrinkle,  or  refines  away  a  mole 
or  freckle;  the  physician  who  puts  his  finger  on  the 
spot  and  testifies,  "Thou  ailest  here  and  here,"  excites 
gratitude,  not  anger ;  why,  then,  should  we  turn  away 
with  wounded  pride  and  displeasure  from  any  mirror 
which  presumes  to  throw  back  upon  us  reflections  of 
our  moral  self?  It  is  quite  true  that  critics  sometimes 
do  us  scant  justice.  The  Japanese  have  metal  mirrors 
with  properties  which  ordinary  looking-glasses  do  not 
possess;  on  the  back  of  the  metal  is  a  figure  which, 
owing  to  the  process  of  polishing,  is  reflected  on  any- 
thing when  the  sun  shines  upon  the  surface  of  the  mir- 
ror.    So  our  critics  do  not  always  reflect  our  true 


DISCIPLINE   OF   THE   DISAGREEABLE  155 

likeness,  but  a  perverse  image  they  have  formed  of 
us  at  the  back  of  their  mind.  If  this  is  so,  it  is  to 
our  advantage.  If  faithfully  we  satisfy  ourselves  that 
the  impeaching  mirrors  are  not  true,  so  much  the  bet- 
ter ;  but  if  they  are  true,  how  irrational  it  is  to  banish 
them.  Even  when  the  truth  is  urged  upon  us  un- 
seasonably, tactlessly,  or  harshly,  we  are  not  the  less 
interested  in  it.  Emerson  says  :  "The  wise  man  throws 
himself  on  the  side  of  his  assailants.  It  is  more 
his  interest  than  it  is  theirs  to  find  his  weak  point." 
The  discipline  of  the  disagreeable  is  far  too  precious 
to  be  rejected.  In  some  of  the  training  colleges  for 
Roman  Catholic  priests  it  is  said  to  be  a  rule  to  force 
the  novices  to  practise  the  particular  things  they  most 
dislike  ;  and  many  of  us  would  be  all  the  better  were  we 
to  practise  the  particular  duties  we  most  resent,  and 
to  listen  impatiently  to  the  sermons  we  find  most  dis- 
tasteful. 

Few  suffer  more  seriously  or  manifestly  in  temper 
and  character  than  do  the  men  and  women  who,  for 
one  reason  or  another,  are  exempt  from  frank,  candid, 
honest  criticism ;  their  privileged  lot  is  really  cruel  in 
the  extreme.  To  pawn  the  barometer  or  to  banish  the 
mirror  is  gratuitously  to  deliver  ourselves  up  to  foolish 
and  fatal  notions.  We  go  to  church  and  listen  to  large, 
eloquent  discourses  which  by  no  accident  touch  our 
personal  weaknesses,  and  we  come  away  little  the 
better  for  the  splendid  oration ;  but  those  faithful  per- 
sonal and  domestic  criticisms  which  are  all  application 
may  prove  infinitely  more  to  our  advantage.  The  min- 
istry of  the  disagreeable  is  a  much  under-valued  means 
of  grace,  yet  it  would  often  profit  more  than  the  golden 


166  DISCIPLINE  OF  THE  DISAGREEABLE 

mouth  and  silver  tongue  of  famous  pulpits.  Let  us  be 
willing  to  know  the  truth,  to  admit  the  light  whatever 
it  reveals,  to  follow  the  light  wherever  it  leads.  No 
matter  how  untuned  the  trumpet,  let  us  obey  its  warn- 
ing; no  matter  how  uncouth  the  gramophone,  let  us 
listen  to  its  message ;  no  matter  how  humbling  or  pain- 
ful the  witness  of  mirror  or  barometer,  let  us  cleanse 
ourselves  from  the  blemish  revealed  by  the  one,  and 
prepare  ourselves  for  the  storm  foreshadowed  by  the 
other. 

Dear  is  my  friend,  but  my  foe  too 
Is  friendly  to  my  good; 

My  friend  the  thing  shows  I  can  do, 
My  foe,  the  thing  I  should. 


XXXIII 
HUMILITY 

Yea,  all  of  you  gird  yourselves  with  humility,  to  serve  one 
another;  for  God  resisteth  the  proud,  but  giveth  grace  to  the 
humble.  Humble  yourselves,  therefore,  under  the  mighty 
hand  of  God,  that  He  may  exalt  you  in  due  time. — i  Peter 
V.  5,  6. 

IN  every  possible  way  and  at  every  possible  point 
revelation  sets  forth  the  charm  and  obligation  of 
humility.  The  New  Testament  never  loses  sight  of 
the  lovely  grace  and  never  fails  to  extol  it.  Our  Lord, 
who  of  this  grace  was  the  supreme  illustration,  most 
emphatically  and  repeatedly  enjoins  it  upon  His  dis- 
ciples; and  Paul,  Peter,  James  and  John  again  and 
again  exhort  their  brethren  to  lowliness  of  mind. 

It  is  an  error  to  regard  humility  as  a  separate,  defi- 
nite virtue ;  it  is  much  rather  an  attitude  and  a  dis- 
position of  the  soul.  It  is  the  way  in  which  we  feel 
towards  God,  in  which  we  regard  ourselves  and  our 
fellows ;  towards  God  it  implies  the  sense  of  reverence 
and  dependence,  and  towards  our  fellows,  deference, 
consideration,  and  helpfulness.  Harnack  justly  re- 
marks: "Humility  is  not  a  virtue  by  itself;  but  it  is 
pure  receptivity,  the  expression  of  inner  need,  the 
prayer  for  God's  grace  and  forgiveness — in  a  word, 
the  opening  up  of  the  heart  to  God" ;  and  united  with 

157 


158  HUMILITY 

this  meekness  of  godliness  are  the  love  and  service  of 
our  neighbour.  Humility  is  an  abiding  disposition 
towards  the  good,  and  that  out  of  which  everything 
that  is  good  springs  and  grows.  Let  us  note  the  con- 
ditions which  render  this  grace  possible,  the  elements 
which  constitute  it.  The  primary  condition  of  humility 
is  the  consciousness  of  personal  greatness.  Secularism 
is  accustomed  to  inculcate  humility  by  belittling  us. 
Its  favourite  line  of  argument  is  to  contrast  our  weak- 
ness and  mutability  with  the  vastness,  splendour,  and 
permanence  of  the  universe;  thus  subjecting  our  pre- 
tensions to  contempt.  But  to  insist  on  our  abject 
insignificance  is  to  render  humility  impossible.  There 
can  be  no  sense  of  lowliness  without  the  consciousness 
of  loftiness — only  greatness  can  be  humble.  And  if 
humility  requires  that  we  should  esteem  and  minister 
to  our  neighbour,  it  implies  that  we  cherish  a  high 
sense  of  our  neighbour's  worth  and  dignity.  If,  ac- 
cording to  the  text,  we  ought  to  gird  ourselves  "with 
humility,  to  serve  one  another,"  it  must  be  because  we 
are  persuaded  of  our  common  grandeur,  and  not  of 
our  common  insignificance.  The  consequence  of 
gibing  at  the  vanity,  impotence,  and  humiliations  of 
humanity  is  to  induce  cynicism,  not  the  meekness 
which  honours  and  helps  our  fellows.  Our  Lord  never 
sought  to  humble  us  by  caricaturing  us,  but  in  His 
blended  majesty  and  lowliness  discovered  the  nature 
and  secret  of  humility. 

With  the  consciousness  of  personal  greatness,  how- 
ever, must  go  the  knowledge  that  our  greatness  is 
derived  and  dependent.  The  secularist  rebukes  pride 
by  contrasting  our  life  and  lot  with  thq  stability  and 


HUMILITY  159 

magnificence  of  nature,  but  his  method  is  mistaken. 
Whatever  may  be  the  humihations  of  humanity,  we 
are  yet  conscious  of  our  superiority  to  dust,  however 
it  may  be  transfigured,  or  however  much  there  may 
be  of  it.  Revelation  sets  us  before  the  face  of  God ; 
declares  His  greatness,  wisdom,  holiness,  and  love; 
avouches  that  we  are  His  offspring,  and  that  we  have 
nothing  that  we  have  not  received  from  Him;  that 
He  is  our  King  and  Judge ;  and  thus  our  sense  of 
greatness  is  chastened  and  hallowed  by  the  vision  of 
supreme  and  eternal  greatness.  Abolish  God,  and 
there  is  an  end  of  the  humility  of  men.  What  author- 
ity remains  to  rebuke  rampant  arrogance  after  His 
fear  is  removed  from  before  our  eyes?  Then  we  are 
greater  than  all  else;  we  are  absolute  masters  of  the 
situation;  no  place  is  left  for  gratitude,  reverence,  or 
service.  Before  the  face  of  God  seraphim  veil  their 
face  with  their  wings ;  and  in  the  presence  of  His 
glory  vanity  is  shamed  and  abased.  Tempted  to  self- 
ishness, domination,  and  vaingloriousness,  we  are 
humbled  "under  the  mighty  hand  of  God." 

Finally,  humility  is  perfected  in  the  consciousness 
that  our  greatness  is  redeemed  greatness.  "Humble 
yourselves  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  He  shall  lift 
you  up,"  is  the  admonition  of  St.  James.  We  are 
called  to  estimate  ourselves  in  the  light  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  Jesus  Christ.  Created  in  honour,  and  set  over 
the  work  of  God's  hands,  we  have  fallen  from  our 
high  estate,  and  it  is  only  through  sovereign  mercy 
that  the  dropped  crown  has  been  restored  to  us.  How 
much  there  is  in  the  gospel  of  redemption  to  over- 
whelm us,  to  fill  us  with  humility !     Everything  from 


160  HUMILITY 

which  we  have  been  saved,  everything  that  we  possess, 
everything  for  which  we  hope — all  is  of  the  free  grace 
of  Him  who  died  for  us.  Well  may  we  with  the  elders 
cast  our  crowns  on  the  jasper  pavement  at  the  feet  of 
the  Lamb,  and  ascribe  to  Him  all  glory  and  praise! 
These  are  the  large  considerations  which  at  once  pre- 
serve our  sense  of  innate  greatness,  and  yet  bend  us 
low  in  humility  and  adoration. 

Lowliness  of  mind  is  the  ground  and  condition  of  all 
rare  excellences.  We  see  this  in  every  direction.  The 
scholar  must  enter  upon  his  task  with  modesty  and 
humility  if  he  is  to  excel ;  a  sense  of  cleverness  and 
self-sufficiency  may  easily  prevent  success.  Writing 
to  his  son  at  the  University,  Sir  James  Paget  remarks : 
"I  am  very  sorry  for  the  failures  at  Christ  Church  of 
which  you  tell.  I  suspect  that  cleverness  was  at  the 
bottom  of  the  failure,  for  it  is  a  character  of  mind 
the  exercise  of  which  is  so  instantly  and  pleasantly 
rewarded  that  the  temptation  to  cultivate  it  is  always 
present,  always  diminishing  the  feeling  of  need  to 
work  with  better  mental  powers  for  better  rewards  that 
are  far  off.  Certainly,  of  all  good  mental  powers 
cleverness  is  the  most  dangerous,  unless  it  can  be  held 
down,  even  with  violence,  by  some  better  power,  and 
made  a  lower  servant  where  else  it  would  be  master." 
So  the  sense  of  cleverness,  of  self-sufficiency,  robs  men 
of  coveted  prizes  of  scholarship.  How  eloquently 
Ruskin  dwells  upon  the  peril  of  pride  in  art  and  the 
constant  need  in  the  artist  of  sincerity  and  simplicity ! 
When  Mr.  Tylney  Wellesley,  afterwards  fourth  Earl 
of  Mornington,  was  Master  of  the  Mint,  he  caused 
a  certain  number  of  shillings  to  be  struck,  on  which 


HUMILITY  161 

the  letters  "T.  W."  were  placed  on  the  lower  edge 
of  the  Sovereign's  neck.  George  IV.  found  this  out, 
and  was  extremely  angry.  So  Ruskin  warns  the  artist 
against  the  pride  of  mind  and  heart  that  may  betray 
him  into  introducing  his  own  vain  conceits  into  his 
pictures;  when  he  ought  simply  to  rejoice  in  the  work 
of  God's  hands,  and  to  give  Him  all  the  glory  by  a 
faithful  representation  of  it.  Vanity,  conceit,  and  in- 
solence in  the  artist  will  mar  his  work,  however  great 
he  may  be.  The  immortal  masters  forgot  themselves 
in  the  glory  of  the  world. 

And  far  beyond  the  blighting  effects  of  pride  of 
heart,  or  intellect  and  its  achievements,  is  its  fatal 
influence  on  the  moral  life.  Meekness,  teachableness, 
responsiveness,  are  essential  to  high  spiritual  excel- 
lence. Just  as  pride  is  the  root  of  all  vices,  humility 
is  the  ground  out  of  which  all  moral  perfections 
spring.  The  structure  of  the  violet  is,  we  believe,  the 
most  perfect  known  to  botanists,  inasmuch  as  it  pos- 
sesses all  the  parts  of  a  plant  according  to  scientific 
classification,  which  comparatively  few  plants  possess, 
whilst  many  brilliant  tropical  plants  are  more  or  less 
defective  in  their  organs.  As  the  sweet  emblem  of 
humility  comprehends  all  the  parts  of  a  plant,  so 
humility  itself  holds  the  essence  of  universal  good- 
ness ;  and  he  who  is  clothed  with  it  is  perfect,  lacking 
nothing. 

The  idea  that  men  of  marked  humility  and  unselfish- 
ness are  inept  creatures  has  no  foundation  in  fact* 
George  Sand  writes :  "Humility  of  mind  is  a  monkish 
virtue  which  God  forbids  to  reformers."  It  is  not  so. 
Meekness  was  the  grand  characteristic  of  our  Lord ; 


162  HUMILITY 

it  is  repeatedly  and  most  touchingly  revealed  in  St. 
Paul ;  and,  whatever  his  traducers  may  say,  the  humility 
of  Martin  Luther  was  profound.  A  Turkish  proverb 
well  discriminates :  "A  man  is  harder  than  iron,  more 
delicate  than  the  rose."  Noble  men  are  ever  thus; 
they  have  a  side  of  lowliness,  softness,  condescension, 
helpfulness,  the  delicacy  and  sweetness  of  the  rose; 
and  with  this  simplicity  and  gentleness  they  blend 
qualities  of  the  utmost  strength  and  steadfastness. 


XXXIV  ^ 


DIFFERENTIATIONS  IN 
EXCELLENCE 

The  gold  of  that  land  is  good. — Gen.  ii.  12. 

PROFOUND  students  of  human  nature  are  most 
conscious  of  the  complexity  of  moral  character. 
Analyzing  the  elements  which  enter  into  it  they 
discover  sound  alloy  in  base  metal.  The  soul  of  good- 
ness in  things  evil  is  a  favourite  topic  with  some  critics  ; 
and,  it  may  be  acknowledged,  a  legitimate  one.  It  is 
good  to  think  that  pure  evil  is  rare,  if,  indeed,  it  is 
ever  met  with.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  these  assayers 
of  human  nature  find  dross  in  the  most  refined  metal. 
Gold  is  never  found  pure,  and  they  do  not  find  human- 
ity so.  A  reviewer  writes :  "With  Thackeray  no  pas- 
sion is  simple,  no  motive  unmixed.  Afifection  is  alloyed 
with  injustice,  innocence  with  selfishness,  generosity 
with  folly,  love  itself  with  jealousy  and  calculation." 
Indeed,  good  and  evil  in  many  instances  are  so  un- 
deniably present  and  so  subtly  interfused  that  the 
appraiser  of  character  is  puzzled  by  the  anagram,  and 
hesitates  as  to  the  category  to  which  his  ambiguous 
subject  belongs.  In  California  in  some  cases  the  more 
precious  metals  of  silver  and  gold  are  found  in  con- 

163 


164  DIFFERENTIATIONS  IN  EXCELLENCE 

nexion  with  copper.  The  gold  in  certain  places  is  so 
largely  mixed  with  the  copper  that  it  is  a  question 
whether  the  mine  is  a  poor  gold  or  a  rich  copper  one. 
Most  of  us  are  acquainted  with  men  and  women  who, 
concerning  their  moral  qualities,  present  a  similar 
problem ;  and  many  of  us  are  familiar  with  the  same 
problem  in  our  own  heart  and  life.  There  is  gold  and 
gold,  as  found  it  varies  immensely  in  fineness ;  and 
even  when  we  may  humbly  hope  that  through  God's 
grace  we  rank  with  the  higher  metal,  yet  are  we  dis- 
tressed that  so  much  in  our  experience  and  character 
is  mixed  and  amorphous. 

The  range  of  moral  excellence  is  immense.  The 
interval  is  wide  between  the  ordinary  precious  stones 
of  the  working  jeweller  and  the  Cullinan  diamond; 
between  the  seed  pearl  and  the  lustrous  drop  for  the 
possession  of  which  millionaires  contend ;  between  the 
meagre  sparkle  of  the  quartz  and  the  refined  gold  of 
the  treasury  of  kings :  and  this  wide  scheme  of  mate- 
rial values  is  only  one  illustration  of  the  distance  that 
often  obtains  between  the  worst  and  best  of  the  excel- 
lent things  of  nature.  In  the  intellectual  world  an  all 
but  infinite  space  divides  the  good  artist  in  literature, 
colour,  or  music  from  the  immortal  masters.  And  the 
differentiations  of  moral  worth  are  wider  still,  although 
they  may  not  be  equally  obvious.  Only  He  whose 
eye  sees  every  precious  thing  can  sum  up  the  grada- 
tions, and  measure  the  distance,  between  "the  least 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven"  and  the  saint  who  comes 
nearest  to  his  Master  and  who  is  most  like  Him.  A 
well-known  work  on  ornithology  has  an  illuminated 
frontispiece,  on  which  are  figured  the  first  bird  pre- 


DIFFERENTIATIONS  IN  EXCELLENCE  1G5 

served  in  the  geological  record  and  the  highest  bird 
existent  on  the  earth  to-day.  The  earliest  known 
avine  form  is  the  archgeopteryx,  a  creature  which  was 
unquestionably  during  life  a  feather-clad  bird ;  yet  it 
had  only  just  passed  the  reptile  stage,  and  still  re- 
tained many  reptilian  characteristics — it  is  altogether 
a  strange,  monstrous  form.  By  the  side  of  this  primi- 
tive creature  is  a  picture  of  the  last  and  highest  type 
of  bird,  the  bird  of  paradise — a  form  on  which  Heaven 
has  lavished  such  a  wealth  of  elegance  and  glory,  that 
when  a  great  living  naturalist  first  beheld  it  in  its 
native  haunts  he  was  so  overpowered  by  its  splendour 
that  his  heart  beat  violently  and  he  nearly  fainted. 
Millions  of  delicate  differentiations  have  lifted  the 
lizard-like  original  into  an  organized  scrap  of  rainbow. 
This  teaching  of  natural  history  may  remind  us  of 
the  countless  variations,  transformations,  and  phases 
which  crowd  the  wide  interval  separating  the  convert, 
freshly  emerging  from  the  mud  of  the  slough  with 
many  gross  characteristics  yet  adhering  to  him,  and 
the  saint,  cleansed,  disciplined,  faultless — quite  on  the 
verge  of  heaven.  We  think  of  a  man  as  a  converted 
man,  as  a  good  man,  and  are  content  with  the  simple 
description ;  yet  we  must  not  forget  that  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  comparative  goodness,  and  that  innumerable 
gradations  exist  among  good  men.  The  Scriptures 
repeatedly  recognize  these  subtle  differences  in  the 
character,  consecration,  and  service  of  those  who  are, 
nevertheless,  all  recognized  disciples.  It  is  true  that 
He  alone  who  searcheth  the  hearts  and  who  knoweth 
the  mind  of  the  Spirit  is  acquainted  with  the  differen- 
tial calculus  of   the   interior  world,   the   method   and 


166  DIFFERENTIATIONS  IN  EXCELLENCE 

truth  of  computation  in  the  highest  branches  of  moral 
life  and  action,  and  He  only  can  follow  the  silent  and 
hidden  progressiveness  of  the  soul;  but  He  knows  all 
these  secrets,  they  are  written  in  His  book,  and  they 
will  regulate  the  final  verdict. 

It  would  be  rank  presumption  to  attempt  to  say  how 
far  refinement  of  character  may  go.  In  this  age  we 
are  chary  of  attempting  to  define  the  potentialities  of 
any  thing  or  creature  whatever,  much  less  must  we 
venture  to  place  limits  to  the  ennobling  of  character 
and  life.  Who  may  affirm  to  what  ultrasensitiveness, 
to  what  sovereign  strength  conscience  may  attain  in  a 
fully  consecrated  life  !  Just  as  science  has  brought  time- 
pieces to  an  almost  absolute  perfection,  then  enclosing 
them  in  hermetically  sealed  cases  that  the  mechanism 
may  not  be  affected  by  changes  of  temperature  or  of 
atmospheric  pressure ;  so  conscience  enshrined  in,  tem- 
pered by  the  Holy  Ghost,  acquires  an  almost  infallible 
truth  of  delicacy.  Who  may  declare  the  capacity  of  the 
human  will!  Without  doubt  it  may  be  educated  until 
it  enjoys  perfect  freedom  and  ineffable  delight  in  exe- 
cuting the  behests  of  the  highest  righteousness.  Who 
may  set  a  limit  to  the  richness  of  love,  to  the  power  of 
self-sacrifice,  to  the  sublimity  of  purity,  of  which  a  true 
heart  is  susceptible !  Who  dares  to  assign  a  boundary 
to  the  power  of  holiness  in  practical  life !  Holy  Writ 
assures  us  that  we  may  be  cleansed  from  all  filthiness 
of  flesh  and  spirit,  and  that  we  may  perfect  holiness 
in  the  fear  of  God.  Have  we,  then,  more  faith  in  the 
corruption  and  weakness  of  human  nature  than  we 
have  in  the  redeeming  and  hallowing  grace  of  the 
Spirit  of  power  and  holiness?     As  already  intimated, 


DIFFERENTIATIONS  IN  EXCELLENCE  167 

great  are  the  possibilities  of  material  things,  great  are 
the  possibilities  of  the  human  mind,  and  we  have  seen 
the  folly  of  fixing  arbitrary  limits  to  their  capacity  of 
development ;  but  is  it  not  far  more  glaring  presump- 
tion to  attempt  to  confine  within  any  narrow  lines  the 
unfolding  of  the  moral  life?  "I  have  seen  an  end  of  all 
perfection ;  but  Thy  commandment  is  exceeding  broad." 
The  infinity  of  the  law  argues  the  infinity  of  the  soul, 
and  its  vast  possibilities  of  vision,  power,  beauty,  antl 
blessedness.  We  do  ourselves  amazing  injustice  by 
qualifying  the  ideal  of  human  perfection.  "The  gold 
of  that  land  is  good."  Outside  the  kingdom  of  God  is 
much  auriferous  gravel ;  immediately  within  its  bor- 
ders is  coarse  gold ;  but  in  its  depths  alloys,  adultera- 
tions, and  debasements  are  finally  purged,  and  human 
nature  throughout  its  structure,  manifestations,  and 
experiences  has  become  even  like  a  jasper  stone,  clear 
as  crystal,  or  as  pure  gold,  as  it  were  transparent  glass. 
In  the  highest  reaches  of  character  and  action  do 
we  taste  the  ineffable  satisfactions  of  godly  life.  "The 
least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven"  is  conscious  of  un- 
earthly blessedness,  but  the  lower  stages  of  the  bet- 
ter life  have  no  glory  by  reason  of  the  glory  that 
excelleth.  The  last  degrees  of  perfection  in  anything 
mean  more  than  all  that  went  before.  The  trifling 
superiority  of  the  historical  diamond  in  size  and  water 
give  it  an  altogether  disproportionate  value ;  so  minute 
are  the  excelling  perfections  of  the  prize  rose  that 
they  are  inappreciable  to  an  untrained  eye;  the  skim- 
ming of  the  final  film  of  alloy  makes  poetry  of  the 
gold  on  the  fire ;  it  is  a  fine  stroke,  a  soft  touch,  a 
last  ethereal  grace  that  constitutes  an  artistic  master- 


168  DIFFERENTIATIONS  IN  EXCELLENCE 

piece  and  invests  it  with  fabulous  wealth  and  glory; 
and  it  is  when  purity  loses  its  final  specks  of  dross, 
when  love  precipitates  its  lingering  sediment  of  selfish- 
ness, when  the  scent  of  pride  and  vanity  is  gone,  when 
the  thoughts,  emotions  and  motives  are  ultimately 
clarified,  when  life  attains  to  perfect  simplicity,  sin- 
cerity and  loftiness,  that  we  enter  into  the  fullness  of 
joy  which  is  beyond  all  other  joy  as  the  flower  trans- 
cends the  leaf.  Strive  toward  these  highest  ends,  fol- 
low the  "more  excellent"  way,  "that  ye  may  show  forth 
the  excellencies  of  Him  who  called  you  out  of  darkness 
into  His  marvellous  light." 


XXXV 
TRUTH 

For  we  can  do  nothing  against  the  truth,  hut  for  the  truth. 
— 2  Cor.  xiii.  8. 

TRUTH  is  a  question  of  far  wider  scope  than 
verbal  literal  accuracy;  indeed,  the  prosaic 
man  who  prides  himself  on  rigid  accuracy 
of  statement,  and  upon  his  habit  of  calling  a  spade  a 
spade,  is  sometimes  essentially  untruthful.  One  may 
be  severely  precise  about  dates,  numbers,  and  circum- 
stances, and  yet  through  suppression  and  bias  egreg- 
iously  misrepresent  and  discolour  the  facts  of  the  situ- 
ation. Much  has  been  written  about  the  photograph 
as  a  false  witness.  The  general  notion  is  that  a  photo- 
graph must  be,  without  question,  an  almost  ideal  of 
truthfulness ;  we  feel  sure  that  the  sun  cannot  lie.  And 
yet  it  has  been  shown  in  an  ancient-lights  case  that 
photographs  can  be  taken  of  the  same  site  which  are 
mutually  contradictory.  The  photograph  is  made  to 
speak  for  this  or  for  that,  according  to  the  interests 
of  the  parties  concerned.  The  artist  has  to  select  his 
lens,  to  find  the  desired  standpoint,  and  to  take  the  pic- 
ture at  the  right  time  of  day.  By  sundry  devices  walls 
may  be  represented  as  near  or  far,  windows  misplaced 
by  a  sinister  angle,  various  sections  of  the  premises 

169 


170  TRUTH 

magnified  into  disproportion,  and  the  whole  scene  con- 
fused by  lights  and  shadows  cunningly  distributed. 
When  the  two  photographs  taken  in  the  interests  of 
the  two  litigants  were  brought  into  court  they  gave 
diametrically  contradictory  witness.  Thus  although  in 
one  sense  the  camera  must  be  literally  accurate,  yet  in 
another  sense  the  photograph  may  seriously  lie  and 
mislead.  And  just  as  photography,  whilst  mechan- 
ically veracious,  may  give  directly  false  evidence,  so 
the  verbally  accurate  witness,  whilst  telling  the  circum- 
stantial truth  in  the  main,  may,  through  prejudice, 
pride,  or  interest,  suppress  some  item  or  introduce 
some  small  and  concealed  element  of  falsehood  as 
serves  to  turn  the  whole  of  his  testimony  on  the  side 
of  unrightness. 

On  the  other  side,  it  is  quite  possible  for  imaginative 
and  emotional  people  to  give  the  literal  truth  a  certain 
exaggerated  and  poetical  setting  which  does  not  violate 
the  essential  truth  or  mislead.  This  is  so  with  much 
of  the  fiction  of  Sir  Walter  Scott;  the  graphic,  ro- 
mantic presentment  bringing  home  to  the  reader  more 
forcibly  the  essential  truth  of  certain  historical  scenes 
than  could  have  been  done  by  literal  statements  and 
statistics.  Turner  furnishes  a  similar  illustration  in 
art.  Critics  of  a  sort  complain  of  his  inaccuracies,  and 
that  they  fail  to  recognize  in  his  cities  and  landscapes 
the  features  which  are  known  to  distinguish  them ;  but 
the  apologists  of  the  great  artist  contend  for  his  ex- 
ceptional truthfulness ;  he  neglects  topographical  preci- 
sion, yet  the  essential  characteristics  of  the  scenery 
are  seized  and  depicted  with  unerring  delicacy  and 
fidelity.     It  is  quite  possible  to  be  intensely  faithful 


TRUTH  171 

and  true  whilst  giving  a  free  and  pictorial  expression 
to  facts  and  ideas  that  others  would  relate  boldly.  The 
glowing  utterances  of  Isaiah  and  St.  John  are  not  less 
exact  than  the  cold,  hard  photographs  of  didactic 
truths  and  principles  given  by  Ecclesiastes.  This  is 
equally  the  case  with  ordinary  people  in  current  inter- 
course. We  must  allow  for  differences  of  temperament 
and  situation,  and  not  suppose  that  the  whole  idea  of 
truth  is  exhausted  by  a  rigorous  pedantry.  The  statue 
in  the  public  square  is  not  as  measured  by  a  foot  rule 
true  to  life,  yet  it  may  most  faithfully  represent  the 
ideal  personality — in  other  words,  the  actuality.  Not 
that  we  design  in  writing  thus  to  encourage  looseness 
of  statement  on  one  side,  or  a  habit  of  exaggeration 
on  the  other;  rather  our  purpose  is  to  show  that  in 
the  high,  broad  sense  of  Scripture  truth  is  no  mere 
technical  matter,  but  a  question  of  inward  sincerity 
and  Tightness  of  heart,  stamping  all  that  a  man  is  and 
does  with  the  character  of  ingenuousness,  unreserved- 
ness,  and  trustworthiness.  To  do  nothing  against  the 
truth,  but  for  the  truth,  implies  that  the  spirit  of  truth 
is  in  our  heart;  that  we  are  not  governed  by  motive 
of  pride  or  interest,  but  by  the  simple  passionate  love 
of  truth  itself ;  and  that  we  are  prepared  to  make  every 
sacrifice  that  we  may  follow  it  in  all  its  findings.  Wide 
is  the  scope,  various  the  subjects,  and  nice  the  appli- 
cation of  truth  alike  in  word  and  deed ;  and  he  alone 
is  faithful  to  the  text  who  lives  in  the  fear  of  God, 
the  spirit  of  Christ,  and  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  whose  office  it  is  to  lead  into  the  whole  truth. 

In  our  day  the  moral  sentiment  ought  to  be  strongly 
reinforced  by  the  sanction  given  to  truthfulness  both 


172  TRUTH 

by  nature  and  by  science,  which  is  its  interpretation. 
The  exactness  and  absolute  trustworthiness  of  nature 
are  truisms.  A  recent  writer  thus  expresses  the  fact : 
"Every  distinct  object  is  characterized  by  its  own 
quahties,  powers,  and  appearances,  and  by  them  may 
be  distinguished  from  that  which  is  characterized  by 
different  quahties,  powers,  and  appearances.  Oxygen 
has  its  signs;  hydrogen,  nitrogen,  carbon,  chlorine, 
iodine,  and  phosphorus  have  their  signs.  These  signs 
no  chemist  distrusts ;  his  science  is  built  on  them.  He 
works  in  their  midst  with  confidence ;  he  depends  upon 
them,  and  is  not  disappointed.  From  whatever  dis- 
tance, also,  in  the  heavens  a  sign  comes,  it  is  received 
without  distrust;  unlimited  faith  is  placed  in  it;  its 
truth  is  never  questioned ;  its  message  and  interpreta- 
tation  obtain  a  settled  place  among  the  verities  of 
science."  Such  is  the  fundamental  truth  of  earth  and 
heaven.  And  most  sincerely,  sensitively,  and  patiently 
does  our  science  study  to  interpret  faithfully  the  phe- 
nomena of  the  world.  The  philosopher  approaches  his 
task  with  an  open  and  inquisitive  mind;  his  theories 
are  drawn  from  observation  and  experiment ;  he  works 
with  instruments  of  marvellous  precision ;  his  painstak- 
ing, perseverance,  and  sacrifice  often  rise  to  martyr- 
dom ;  his  only  passion  is  to  know  and  exhibit  the 
thing  as  it  is.  The  veracity  of  modern  science  is  a 
grave  rebuke  to  all  who  attempt  to  imprint  on  the 
facts  of  life  the  characters  of  their  own  ignorance, 
partiality,  passion  and  untruthfulness. 

Are  we  not  humbled  when,  leaving  the  sphere  of 
science,  we  contemplate  the  condition  of  things  in  com- 
merce,  politics,    society,   and    religion?    What    guile, 


TRUTH  173 

feigning,  juggling,  varnishing,  and  hypocrisy!  How 
rare  is  actuality,  reality,  candour,  the  supreme  love 
of  the  truth !  Much  as  we  flatter  ourselves  on  our 
plain  truthfulness  and  honest  living,  tried  by  the  ideal 
standard  we  are  yet  barbarians.  Our  mind  falls  as  far 
short  of  truth  as  our  character  does  of  beauty.  Is 
there  not  passing  occasion  that  we  should  diligently 
cultivate  the  truthful  spirit  and  practise  it  in  all  direc- 
tions ?  In  controversy  let  us  not  strive  for  victory,  but 
for  illumination ;  let  us  not  be  dominated  by  party 
spirit,  but  by  a  sense  of  verity  and  righteousness;  let 
us  be  deaf  to  the  pleadings  of  interest  and  passion, 
always  giving  the  forward  place  to  reasonableness  and 
conscience ;  let  us  carry  into  our  sects  and  cliques  a 
love  of  truth  that  penetrates  at  once  the  sophistries  and 
glamours  of  falsity  and  selfishness.  Let  us  be  severely 
true  to  our  own  selves ;  diligently  worship  God  in  spirit 
and  in  truth;  and  maintain  intimate  communion  with 
Him  who  is  the  truth  and  the  life.  The  highest  ideal 
of  honesty  and  veracity  is  only  possible  as  we  culti- 
vate a  spirit  of  meekness,  unselfishness,  and  reverence ; 
as  we  walk  in  the  light  in  which  there  is  no  darkness 
at  all ;  and  we  must  refuse  to  count  that  religion  which 
does  not  work  out  in  transparency  of  thought  and  pur- 
pose, impartiality  of  judgment,  sincerity  of  demeanour, 
conversation,  and  action. 


XXXVI 
'         INDIRECTION 

And  it  came  to  pass,  zvhen  Pharaoh  had  let  the  people  go, 
that  God  led  them  not  through  the  way  of  the  land  of  the 
Philistines,  although  that  was  near;  for  God  said.  Lest  per- 
adventure  the  people  repent  when  they  see  war,  and  they  re- 
turn to  Egypt;  but  God  led  the  people  about,  through  the  way 
of  the  wilderness  of  the  Red  Sea. — Exod.  xiii.  17,  18. 

FOR  the  reason  stated,  God  did  not  lead  His 
people  by  the  nearest  path  to  their  desired 
goal,  but  by  a  circuitous  route  and  after  long 
delay.  Does  He  not  often  act  thus  both  with  the  race 
at  large  and  with  the  individual?  We  may  be  sure 
that  He  never  loses  sight  of  the  far-off  event,  that 
He  never  falters  in  His  design,  and  that  He  can  make 
no  mistake  as  to  direction,  and  yet  by  endless  windings 
and  turnings  He  seeks  to  bring  His  purposes  to  pass. 
What  a  wide  sweep  He  took  to  prepare  the  earth 
for  human  habitation ;  not  by  the  short  cut  of  an  imme- 
diate creation,  but  by  a  process  of  evolution  stretching 
through  measureless  ages !  And  when  He  determined 
to  vouchsafe  His  creatures  a  revelation  of  Himself  and 
of  the  truths  of  the  eternal  universe,  He  did  not  once 
for  all  issue  a  direct  and  summary  declaration  of  His 
character,  laws,  and  purpose,  but  worked  out  the  rev- 
elation through  thousands  of  years  in  the  crooked  his- 
tory of  the  chosen  nation. 

174 


INDIRECTION  175 

The  same  principle  of  circumlocution  is  being  per- 
petually evidenced  in  the  administration  of  His  gov- 
ernment. A  recent  traveller  observes :  "What  a  won- 
derful thing  it  is  to  have  arrived  at  such  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  currents  of  air  and  water,  that  even 
on  these  vast  seas  one  is  sure  of  arriving  quicker  at 
any  given  point,  by  taking  the  two  sides  of  a  right 
angle,  than  by  taking  the  hypothenuse,  and  more  sure 
of  making  out  the  journey  to  Australia  in  three  months 
by  following  a  circuitous  route  than  of  making  it  in 
five  if  one  followed  the  shortest  route  traced  on  a 
chart."  How  perfectly  this  strategy  is  understood  in 
heaven,  and  by  what  labyrinthine  marches  does  God 
circumvent  every  opposing  force,  and  bring  His  de- 
signs to  fruition ! 

Does  not  this  fact  supply  a  cue  to  the  apparent  con- 
fusions of  national  and  individual  history?  Events 
seem  to  lack  orderly  marshalling,  they  do  not  move 
smoothly,  they  apparently  wander  wide  of  the  goal. 
Providence,  if  any  such  rule  there  be,  wears  the  aspect 
of  indecision  and  confusion,  the  action  of  things  sug- 
gests tedious  see-saw,  the  route  seems  lost,  and  we 
move  as  in  a  maze.  If  we  could  only  strike  "the  bee- 
line"  and  follow  "as  the  crow  flies,"  we  should  be  de- 
lighted; but  our  course  through  life  is  painfully  at 
variance  with  this  natural  simplicity.  Weary  of  what 
we  consider  the  pedantry  of  the  Imperial  Government, 
we  contemptuously  brand  it  as  "the  circumlocution 
office ;"  yet  if  we  candidly  note  the  cycles  and  fluctua- 
tions of  human  affairs,  there  is  more  circumlocution  in 
the  government  of  God  than  in  any  other  government 
whatever. 


176  INDIRECTION 

Let  us,  however,  be  on  our  guard  against  impatience 
"For  God  said,  Lest  peradventure  the  people  repent 
when  they  see  war,  and  they  return  to  Egypt."  The 
tortuous  path  of  Israel  was  prescribed  out  of  a  tender 
regard  for  its  safety;  and  the  same  wise  loving  kind- 
ness determines  the  involutions,  tangents,  and  circum- 
navigations of  our  pilgrimage.  We  are  conducted 
"round  about"  in  order  to  escape  hills  that  are  too 
steep,  currents  that  are  too  strong,  ordeals  that  are  too 
bitter.  "He  knoweth  our  frame.  He  remembereth  that 
we  are  dust,"  and  leads  us  in  a  safe  way  because  of 
our  enemies.  The  meandering  track  we  wearily  tread 
irritates  us,  and  excites  in  our  heart  cruel  thoughts  of 
God ;  yet  if  we  saw  truly,  we  should  glorify  the  exquis- 
ite wisdom  and  grace  which  find  for  us  at  every  step 
the  line  of  least  resistance.  Indirection  is  not  misdirec- 
tion. The  way  is  long,  obscure,  and  apparently  arbi- 
trary; but  the  sufficient  reason  for  all  our  perplexing 
wanderings  is  found  in  the  weakness  of  our  nature  and 
the  exigencies  of  life's  discipline. 

He  fixed  thee  'mid  this  dance 

Of  plastic  circumstance, 
This  Present,  thou,  forsooth,  wouldst  fain  arrest: 

Machinery  just  meant 

To  give  thy  soul  its  bent, 
Try  thee  and  turn  thee  forth,  sufficiently  impressed. 

In  the  sanctification  of  character  the  same  method 
of  indirection  is  followed.  The  ordinary  moralist 
makes  a  frontal  attack  on  the  weaknesses  and 
errors  of  human  nature.  He  strikes  directly  and 
bluntly  at  the  vices  of  men,  concentrating  his  strength 
upon  exposing,  denouncing,  and  chastising  their  of- 


INDIRECTION  177 

fences.  The  programme  of  revelation  is  widely  dif- 
ferent. Conversion  is  God's  roundabout  way  of 
getting  into  the  rear  of  a  man's  vices  to  dislodge  them 
and  to  compel  their  retreat.  Instead  of  con- 
tenting Himself  with  an  immediate  onslaught 
on  our  sins  and  follies,  the  Divine  Saviour  follows 
a  deeper  policy,  and  works  round  by  the  understand- 
ing, conscience,  and  heart,  although  the  process  is 
intangible  and  protracted,  and  does  not  commend 
itself  to  the  natural  man.  And  the  whole  process  of 
our  sanctification  is  effected  in  the  same  way.  We 
pray  earnestly  that  we  may  be  enabled  to  attain  this 
grace  or  the  other,  but  the  graces  sought  are  not  in 
some  supernatural  way  immediately  planted  in  our 
heart.  Is  prayer  therefore  unheeded?  Not  so.  It  is 
usually  answered  through  a  long  course  of  events 
whose  significance  at  the  time  we  do  not  comprehend, 
but  which  eventually  disciplines  us  into  the  very  per- 
fections we  coveted.  Henry  Drummond,  writing  of 
the  rest  which  God  gives  His  people,  remarks :  "It 
is  a  roundabout  way,  apparently,  of  producing  rest ; 
but  nature  generally  works  by  circular  processes ;  and 
it  is  not  certain  that  there  is  any  other  way  of  becom- 
ing humble,  or  of  finding  rest.  If  a  man  could  make 
himself  humble  to  order  it  might  simplify  matters, 
but  we  do  not  find  that  this  happens." 

God's  order  in  the  purification  of  society  is  similarly 
devious.  The  frontal  attack  on  public  evil  is  the 
only  mode  that  commends  itself  to  the  mind  of  many 
reformers ;  but  the  Captain  of  Israel  directs  His  unseen 
and  unsuspected  armies  into  the  rear  of  social 
sins     and     wrongs,     cuts     off     their     supplies,     en- 


178  INDIRECTION 

velops  them,  saps  and  mines  in  the  darkness,  until 
the  alien  host  mysteriously  melts  away.  The  New 
Testament  makes  no  frontal  attack  on  slavery,  as  abo- 
litionism does;  but  first  by  the  working  of  great 
doctrines  of  justice  and  love  makes  abolition  inevit- 
able. It  makes  no  frontal  attack  on  intemperance,  as 
Mohammed  did  by  the  prohibition  of  wine ;  but  by  the 
slow,  silent  action  of  its  grand  ideals  of  purity  and 
sacrifice  guarantees  and  inaugurates  a  sober  world. 
It  makes  no  frontal  attack  on  sensuality,  after  the 
manner  of  monasticism ;  but  by  revealing  to  men 
nobler  delights  and  inspiring  them  with  moral  strength 
it  hastens  the  time  when  all  the  people  shall  be  right- 
eous. The  impatient  resent  this  tardy  process,  yet  the 
end  shall  justify  it.  "For  My  thoughts  are  not  your 
thoughts,  neither  are  your  ways  My  ways,  saith  the 
Lord.  For  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,  so 
are  My  ways  higher  than  your  ways,  and  My  thoughts 
than  your  thoughts."  The  educationalist,  the  legalist, 
and  the  politician  may  unavailingly  demonstrate  for 
ever  in  the  enemies'  front,  unless  spiritual  forces,  which 
elude  observation  and  work  on  eccentric  lines,  first  ren- 
der strongly  intrenched  evils  untenable.  The  pathway 
by  which  God  is  introducing  the  race  into  its  Canaan 
exhausts  all  mathematical  figures.  If  nature  abhors 
straight  lines,  still  more  does  Providence.  But  He 
who  governs  the  races  and  the  ages  has  a  sufficient 
reason  for  every  detour  and  eccentricity.  Do  not 
resent  the  serpentine  path,  the  confused  movements, 
the  unaccountable  delays ;  eternal  wisdom  and  com- 
passion are  ever  discovering  the  line  of  least  resist- 
ance for  the  race  as  well  as  for  the  individual. 


INDIRECTION  179 

Let  us,  then,  imitate  more  closely  the  divine  method 
of  indirection  in  dealing  with  evil.  In  our  personal 
moral  culture  we  may  act  thus  with  advantage.  To 
brood  over  our  besetting  sin  becomes  dangerous ;  it 
is  wiser  to  attempt  a  flank  movement,  and  defeat  it 
by  occupying  our  mind  with  other  thoughts,  interests, 
occupations,  and  pleasures.  The  smith  seeking  to  ren- 
der smooth  a  plate  of  iron  that  has  been  accidentally 
distorted  does  not  smite  directly  the  protuberances 
themselves,  lest  in  doing  so  he  should  break  or  wound 
the  plate  he  designs  to  flatten.  Knowing  the  fibre  of 
the  metal,  he  strikes  quite  away  from  the  obnoxious 
bulgings,  so  removing  the  inequalities  without  marring 
the  sheet.  In  dealing  with  the  faults  of  society  there 
is  a  place  for  protest  and  prohibition,  but  to  treat  them 
effectually  we  must  take  the  wide  excursions  of  the 
intellectual  and  spiritual  reformer.  Most  profitably 
might  the  ministry  cultivate  this  generalship.  Didactic 
and  controversial  presentments  of  the  truth  are  not  the 
most  effective;  we  succeed  best  when  the  reader  or 
congregation  hardly  knows  where  the  moral  comes  in. 
Direct  assaults  on  men's  opinions  and  defects  often 
provoke  them  into  the  attitude  of  self-justification  and 
defiance,  whilst  the  noble  guile  of  insinuation  and  sug- 
gestion manoeuvres  them  out  of  prejudices  and  posi- 
tions we  deprecate.  Astronomers  are  said  to  see  cer- 
tain stars  whilst  they  look  askance. 

Men  must  be  taught  as  if  you  taught  them  not, 
And  things  unknown  proposed  as  things  forgot. 

In  attempting  the  recovery  of  the  fallen  remember 
the  charm  and  virtues  of  indirection.    The  instructed 


180  INDIRECTION 

physician  of  to-day,  in  dealing  with  morbid  conditions 
of  mind  and  body,  hopes  much  less  from  direct 
methods  of  medicine  and  treatment  than  from 
the  indirect  action  of  education  and  environment. 
This  holds  good  equally  in  the  treatment  of  morbid 
elements  of  character.  In  the  training  of  children 
the  shortest  way  of  dealing  with  their  faults  may 
prove  the  longest.  Do  not  unceasingly  and  painfully 
emphasize  the  fault  and  labour  it;  attenuate  and 
destroy  the  evil  thing  by  getting  at  it  from  another 
side.  Lead  the  child  along  the  line  of  least  resistance. 
When  by  stratagem  we  carry  our  point  with  neigh- 
boifrs  or  friends  we  say,  "I  got  round  them."  By  a 
worthy  artfulness  let  us  "get  round"  people,  that  we 
may  save  them  from  Egypt  and  bring  them  into  the 
Promised  Land. 


J 

XXXVII 

WHAT  WE  MAY  DO  TOWARDS 
OUR  SALVATION 

Sow  to  yourselves  in  righteousness,  reap  in  mercy;  break  up 
your  fallow  ground;  for  it  is  time  to  seek  the  Lord,  till  He 
come  and  rain  righteousness  upon  you. — Hosea  x.  12. 

THAT  we  can  do  anything  towards  our  salva- 
tion has  often  been  denied.  Some  contend 
that  seekers  after  redemption  have  nothing 
to  do  with  the  means  of  grace,  that  they  ought  not 
to  search  the  Scriptures,  and  that  they  must  not  even 
use  private  prayer;  they  ought  to  be  still  until  the 
Spirit  of  God  gifts  them  with  living  faith  and  blesses 
them  with  the  consciousness  of  salvation.  Others  who 
are  not  thus  extreme  are  nevertheless  suspicious  of 
anything  done  with  a  view  to  a  new  nature  and  a 
new  life.  Certainly  this  attitude  of  passivity  is  con- 
trary to  the  law  of  our  natural  life.  Everything  we 
possess,  or  can  hope  to  possess,  of  worldly  blessing  is 
the  free  gift  of  God,  but  as  a  rule  it  is  imparted  only 
to  the  diligent  seeker. 

The  forest  trees — 
Do  they  fall  round  us  into  builded  homes 
Without  an  axe  or  arm?    The  blowing  winds 
Are  but  our  servants  when  we  hoist  a  sail. 

181 


182  HELPS  TOWARDS  OUR  SALVATION 

We  know  the  usual  fate  of  the  passive  people  in 
society,  of  those  who  wait  for  "something  to  turn 
up."  Things  do  not  turn  up,  they  turn  down,  and 
every  day  finds  the  idle  dreamer  involved  in  deeper 
embarrassment  and  misery.  The  analogy  is  com- 
plete with  the  higher  life.  The  supreme  gifts — a 
pure  heart,  a  peaceful  conscience,  a  righteous  char- 
acter, a  glorious  immortality — do  not  come  unsought ; 
they  are  vouchsafed  only  to  those  who  seek  the  Lord 
with  their  whole  heart. 

What,  then,  may  we  do  with  a  view  to  our  salva- 
tion ?  "Sow  to  yourselves  in  righteousness ;  break  up 
your  fallow  ground."  What  is  impHed  in  this  instruc- 
tion? 

An  interior  preparation  for  the  blessing  is  necessary. 
We  may  not  expect  it  without  a  suitable  attitude  of 
mind  and  heart.  Indeed,  any  kind  of  discovery  what- 
ever is  impossible  without  mental  sympathy  and  ex- 
pectation in  the  seeker.  The  fallen  apple  would  never 
have  become  historic  if  Newton's  genius  had  not  been 
mathematical,  and  his  mind  occupied  with  natural 
problems;  the  swinging  lamp  in  the  cathedral  at  Pisa 
would  have  oscillated  for  ages  without  shedding  other 
illumination  than  that  of  oil,  if  Galileo  had  not  sym- 
pathetically pondered  the  mysteries  of  matter  and 
motion ;  America  would  have  been  mistaken  for  a 
cloud  on  the  horizon,  if  faith  and  desire  had  not 
sharpened  the  vision  of  Columbus ;  the  primrose  by 
the  river's  brim  would  have  perished  as  nothing  more 
than  a  primrose,  if  reflection  and  sensibility  had  not 
prepared  Darwin  to  see  in  it  the  revelation  of  an 
unknown  law. 


HELPS  TOWARDS  OUR  SALVATION  183 

A  distinguished  writer  has  shown  that  in  all  research 
and  experiment  the  use  of  the  imagination  is  essen- 
tial ;  that  without  sympathetic  predisposition  and  alert- 
ness the  secrets  of  nature  remain  impenetrable.  It  is 
the  same  with  the  great  saving  truths  of  religion ; 
they  can  be  apprehended  only  by  seriously  seeking 
souls.  In  the  temper  of  criticism,  in  the  attitude  of 
antagonism,  in  the  mood  of  indifference,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  discern  the  truth  to  the  saving  of  the  soul. 
"They  shall  ask  the  way  to  Zion  with  their  faces  thith- 
erward, saying.  Come,  and  let  us  join  ourselves  to 
the  Lord  in  a  perpetual  covenant  that  shall  not  be 
forgotten."  "With  their  faces  thitherward ;"  here  is 
depicted  the  true  attitude  of  the  inquirer  and  seeker 
after  God,  and  without  it  we  miss  the  goal.  As  Dean 
Church  puts  it:  "The  way  and  direction  we  choose 
to  look  make  a  great  difference  as  to  what  we  see  and 
what  we  do  not  see."  Surely  there  is  enough  to  justify 
our  quest  of  these  higher  things,  and  we  can  hope  to 
find  them  only  as  in  the  right  spirit  we  follow  on  to 
know  them.  Our  "desire  must  be  to  the  remembrance 
of  His  name."  By  reading,  meditation,  and  earnest 
prayer  we  make  to  ourselves  a  new  heart;  bring  our- 
selves into  such  an  expectant,  responsive  mood  that  we 
are  able  to  see,  feel,  and  grasp  the  things  freely  given 
us  of  God.  In  the  early  morning  plants  are  wet  with 
the  dew,  whilst  stones  are  dry ;  thus  the  grace  of  God 
distils  on  prepared  hearts,  whilst  the  stony  and  unre- 
ceptive  remain  unvisited  and  unblessed. 

A  preparation  of  the  life  is  also  essential. 
Throughout  God's  holy  Word  it  is  insisted  that  in 
seeking  for  the  great  salvation  we  "break  off"  our 


184  HELPS  TOWARDS  OUR  SALVATION 

"sins."  Cries  Isaiah:  "Wash  you,  make  you  clean; 
put  away  the  evil  of  your  doings  from  before  Mine 
eyes;  cease  to  do  evil;  learn  to  do  well."  Jeremiah 
makes  the  same  demand:  "If  thou  wilt  return,  O 
Israel,  saith  the  Lord,  return  unto  Me:  and  if  thou 
wilt  put  away  thine  abominations  out  of  My  sight, 
then  shalt  thou  not  remove.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord 
to  the  men  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  Break  up  your 
fallow  ground,  and  sow  not  among  thorns."  It  is 
useless  to  sow  among  thorns,  they  choke  every  good 
impulse  and  resolve;  in  other  words,  to  continue  in 
sin  quenches  the  Spirit  and  renders  abortive  all 
prayers  and  tears.  Hosea  points  the  same  moral : 
"Their  doings  will  not  suffer  them  to  turn  unto  their 
God:  for  the  spirit  of  whoredoms  is  in  the  midst  of 
them,  and  they  have  not  known  the  Lord."  The 
teaching  of  the  New  Testament  is  invariably  to  this 
effect.  One  known  sin  deliberately  retained  means  the 
forfeiture  of  every  blessing  of  the  covenant.  Do  any 
object? 

Just  as  I  am,  and  waiting  not 
To  rid  my  soul  of  one  dark  blot, 
To  Thee,  whose  blood  can  cleanse  each  spot, 
O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come ! 

Yes,  even  so;  but  our  contention  remains  in  full 
force.  The  prodigal  came  to  his  father's  house  just 
as  he  was ;  nevertheless  he  forsook  the  far  country, 
the  harlots,  and  the  swine.  Qiristian  could  not  cleanse 
his  filthy  rags  nor  free  his  burden ;  yet  he  turned  his 
back  upon  the  guilty  companionships  and  pleasures 
of  the  City  of  Destruction.     If  we  would  enjoy  the 


HELPS  TOWARDS  OUR  SALVATION  185 

great  salvation  Christ  came  to  secure,  we  must  remem- 
ber the  Baptist's  exhortation  to  "bring  forth  fruits 
meet  for  repentance." 

Finally,  plant  yourself  in  the  appointed  paths  of 
blessing.  In  the  "King's  highway"  wait  the  passing 
of  the  Royal  Presence.  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Stand 
ye  in  the  ways  and  see,  and  ask  for  the  old  paths, 
where  is  the  good  way,  and  walk  therein,  and  ye  shall 
find  rest  for  your  souls."  It  has  been  said:  "It  is 
not  enough  to  be  ready  to  go  where  duty  calls.  A 
man  should  stay  around  where  he  can  hear  the  call." 
Stay  around,  listening  with  a  keen  ear  where  God 
is  most  likely  to  speak ;  watching  with  eager  vision 
where  He  has  promised  to  reveal  Himself.  Frequent 
the  place  where  prayer  is  wont  to  be  made ;  search  the 
Scriptures;  listen  to  pious  counsels.  With  your  feet 
on  holy  ground,  with  the  right  book  in  your  hand,  with 
the  right  people  about  you,  with  your  eyes  viplifted  and 
expectant,  wait  for  the  light  and  joy  that  may  be  de- 
layed, but  which  cannot  be  denied. 

The  Lord  shall  to  His  temple  come. 
Prepare  your  hearts  to  make  Him  room. 

Think  of  the  unprofitable  years  of  the  past !  "The 
fallow  ground."  Our  great  nature  unworked ;  the 
great  possibilities  of  life  unrealized.  No  fruits  of 
light ;  no  sweet-smelling  flowers  of  grace  and  purity ; 
no  golden  sheaves  of  noble  service.  But  fallow  ground 
will  produce  something,  a  something  that  is  worthless 
and  mischievous ;  and  it  is  ever  thus  with  the  unre- 
generate,  unconsecrated  life.  Roots  of  bitterness  have 
poisoned  our  days ;  hemlock  growths  made  us  a  curse 


186    HELPS  TOWARDS  OUR  SALVATION 

instead  of  a  blessing;  thorns  and  briers,  fit  only  for 
burning,  are  the  sad  harvest  of  a  neglected  soul.  And 
the  brighter  sides  and  things  of  wasted  years  are  no 
more  satisfactory.  The  bright  yellow  of  the  hated 
charlock  and  the  dazzling  scarlet  of  the  poppies  give 
no  pleasure  to  the  husbandman ;  they  are  only  poison- 
ous weeds,  despite  all  their  showiness :  and  the  gaieties 
of  a  godless  life  are  not  pleasures  of  memory.  "What 
fruit  had  ye  then,  in  those  things  whereof  ye  are  now 
ashamed  ?  for  the  end  of  those  things  is  death." 

Think  of  the  riches  of  the  new  life  in  Christ !  "Reap 
in  mercy."  "Till  He  come  and  rain  righteousness 
upon  you."  According  to  the  measure  or  proportion 
of  mercy  shall  God  grant  to  the  penitent  soul  the 
gifts  of  grace.  This  is  the  glorious  standard  of  bless- 
ing. Thirty,  sixty,  and  a  hundredfold  spring  from 
the  seeds  sown  in  the  fields ;  and  in  the  moral  sphere 
God  refreshes  and  enriches  us  beyond  all  our  thoughts. 
He  blesses,  not  according  to  our  merits,  prayers,  or 
expectations,  but  according  to  the  freeness  and  large- 
ness of  His  mercy.  He  shall  make  you  wiser,  stronger, 
holier,  happier,  more  useful,  beyond  all  that  you  can 
ask  or  think.  Broken  up,  that  fallow  ground  shall  bear 
golden  harvests,  roses  of  Sharon,  fruits  of  Paradise, 

"Seek  the  Lord  till  He  come."  Continue  the  search 
quite  up  to  the  point  and  time  when  you  shall  find.  A 
celebrated  gold-mine  in  Nevada  is  known  as  the 
Eureka,  and  a  mournful  history  is  connected  with  it. 
The  original  owner,  after  working  it  without  success, 
was  obliged  to  abandon  it.  He  retired  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  he  lived  in  indigence  for  some  time,  finally 
cutting  his  wife's  throat  and  those  of  his  two  children, 


HELPS  TOWARDS  OUR  SALVATION  187 

and  then  blowing  out  his  own  brains.  Those  who  re- 
opened the  mine  struck  the  gold  only  twelve 
feet  beyond  the  spot  where  the  poor  fellow  had  ceased 
working.  Do  not  stop  short  of  the  heavenly  blessing 
and  sink  in  despair.  "It  is  time  to  seek  the  Lord  " 
If  the  husbandman  permit  the  auspicious  hours  to 
pass,  the  harvest  is  lost. 


XXXVIII 
THE  DEVIL'S  RIDDLE 

Then  Satan  answered  the  Lord,  and  said.  Doth  Job  fear 
God  for  nought? — ^Job  i.  9. 

SATAN  assumes  that  the  godHness  of  the  patri- 
arch rested  on  the  secular  advantage  attending 
it.  "Hast  Thou  not  made  a  hedge  about  him, 
and  about  his  house,  and  about  all  that  he  hath  on 
every  side?  Thou  hast  blessed  the  work  of  his  hands, 
and  his  substance  is  increased  in  the  land."  The  ac- 
cuser then  proceeds  to  predict  that  if  the  secular  ad- 
vantage ceased  the  godliness  would  cease  with  it.  "But 
put  forth  Thine  hand  now,  and  touch  all  that  he  hath, 
and  he  will  curse  Thee  to  Thy  face."  The  inference 
to  be  drawn  from  the  Satanic  impeachment  is  that 
godliness  inspired  by  sordid  selfishness  is  worthless; 
piety  must  rest  on  other  and  higher  grounds  than 
material  advantage.  So  far  it  must  be  granted  that 
the  devil's  theology  is  orthodox,  as  indeed  his  theology 
usually  is ;  his  failure  is  elsewhere.  The  true  religious 
life  is  independent  of  all  arithmetic. 

Several  subjects  do  not  permit  calculation  of  the 
worldly  order.  Certain  vocations  and  relationships  are 
so  lofty  that  they  are  desecrated  by  the  very  thought 
of  financial  gain  or  social  advancement;  the  fine  gold 

188 


THE     DEVIL'S     RIDDLE        189 

becomes  dim  at  the  suspicion  of  mercenary  design. 
Art  cannot  be  cultivated  in  the  spirit  of  gain.  The 
ancient  masterpieces  of  sculpture,  architecture,  and 
painting  arose  out  of  the  pure  impulse  of  genius,  the 
passionate  love  of  perfection,  and  not  out  of  greed. 
Splendid  workmanship  is  native  to  solitude  and  low- 
liness, as  some  choice  fruits  and  flowers  are  reared 
best  on  the  poorer  soils.  In  the  atmosphere  of  for- 
tune, luxury,  and  renown  genius  withers.  Great  music 
does  not  come  by  the  way  of  the  Stock  Exchange. 
The  singing  robes  of  the  premier  poets  are  commonly 
threadbare.  Science  also  is  easily  hurt  by  commer- 
cialism. The  true  student  of  nature  works  in  simple 
love  of  the  truth,  knowing  nothing  of  thoughts  of 
aggrandizement.  In  the  opinion  of  competent  judges 
modern  science  has  been  seriously  compromised  by 
too  close  association  with  industrialism;  vast  are  the 
material  advantages  ensured  by  science,  but  it  must 
not  be  cultivated  in  the  commercial  spirit.  Detach- 
ment from  the  world  is  essential  to  all  high  intellectual 
work ;  a  glance  at  fiscal  gain  or  social  glory  mars  the 
power  and  efficacy  of  the  most  brilliant  genius.  In  the 
realm  of  the  social  affections  material  considerations 
are  still  more  intolerable.  Love  shrinks  from  sordid 
reckonings ;  and  if  for  a  moment  it  should  be  seduced 
into  any  thought  of  interest,  its  divine  quality  is  lost. 
Partnership  in  business  is  legitimate  enough,  yet  busi- 
ness under  the  guise  of  friendship  is  a  painful  confu- 
sion impossible  to  sensitive  souls.  "Commerce,  traffic, 
speculation  are  honourable  words  when  properly  ap- 
plied, but  they  are  infamous  when  applied  to  mar- 
riage," as  Marie  Bashkirtseff  justly  declares.     Love, 


190         THE    DEVIL'S    RIDDLE 

friendship,  philanthropy  are  affairs  of  the  heart,  and 
any  alloy  of  interested  motives  converts  these  terms 
into  expressions  of  the  worst  forms  of  fraudulent  pre- 
tence. 

But  coming  to  goodness,  M^hich  is  another  word 
for  godliness,  we  enter  a  realm  where  mercenary 
thoughts  are  simply  profane.  In  the  lower  stages  of 
personal  religious  experience,  as  in  the  earlier  stages 
of  national  religious  development,  the  bargaining  tem- 
per of  the  patriarch  Jacob  may  be  condoned;  but  in 
the  higher  stages,  which  cannot  be  delayed  without 
serious  loss,  the  huckstering  spirit  has  entirely  passed 
away.  "Now  when  Simon  saw  that  through  the  laying 
on  of  the  apostles'  hands  the  Holy  Ghost  was  given, 
he  offered  them  money.  .  .  .  But  Peter  said  unto 
him,  Thy  silver  perish  with  thee,  because  thou  hast 
thought  to  obtain  the  gift  of  God  with  money."  In 
our  day  dollars  and  divinity  are  associated  without 
causing  any  special  shock,  but  to  men  full  of  the  spirit 
of  Christ  the  association  was  sacrilegious ;  the  attempt 
to  obtain  spiritual  power  with  money,  or  to  get  money 
out  of  spiritual  virtue,  was  equally  impious.  The 
strong  language  of  Peter  shows  that  profit  and  piety 
are  utterly  irreconcilable  in  religious  thought  and 
motive,  although  they  are  often  and  naturally  coinci- 
dent in  practical  life. 

It  is  the  duty  of  Christian  men  to  preserve  their 
religious  life  not  only  from  gross  secularism,  but  also 
from  every  refinement  of  interested  motives ;  we  must 
remember  that  simony  may  exist  in  subtle  forms,  and 
find  application  through  a  wide  range.  Revelation 
everywhere   represents  goodness   as   of   transcendent 


THE     DEVIL'S     RIDDLE        191 

character,  and  bases  it  confidently  on  transcendent 
motives ;  we  might  all  be  spirits  inhabiting  a  spiritual 
world  so  far  as  the  New  Testament  concerns  itself 
with  political  instructions  or  material  provisions. 
Christianity  little  concerns  itself  with  material  ad- 
vantage, and  it  makes  few  promises  in  terms  of  bread 
and  gold.  Its  great  design  is  to  captivate  the  human 
spirit  by  the  sight  of  God's  beauty  and  love,  so  that 
perfect  obedience  may  spring  out  of  pure  admiration, 
reverence,  and  affection.  It  identifies  man  with  the 
truth  itself,  so  that  right  action  does  not  result  from 
the  lower  reason  of  utility,  but  from  the  higher  cause 
of  a  will  so  purified  from  self  as  to  sympathize  by 
instinct  with  the  eternal  laws.  And  this  ultimate  ideal 
of  unselfish  life  and  obedience  commends  itself  to  our 
deepest  consciousness;  for  the  fatal  objection  to  utili- 
tarian morality  is  not  logical,  but  is  found  in  that  in- 
curable sentiment  of  the  heart  which  is  not  satisfied 
unless  the  highest  conduct  is  the  expression  of  pure 
affection. 

Are  we  capable  of  this  pure  affection  and  disin- 
terested service?  Human  nature  is  capable  of  far 
more  disinterestedness  than  it  usually  gets  credit  for. 
Selfish  instincts  are  indeed  strong,  and  sadly  overlay 
the  higher  instincts,  yet  we  are  often  reminded  of  the 
latent  poetry  of  the  human  heart.  Miss  Anna  Swan- 
wick,  the  translator  of  the  dramas  of  .^^schylus, 
formed  a  class  of  shop  girls  and  servants.  Once  when 
she  was  trying  to  interest  them  in  Milton,  some  one 
suggested  that  instruction  in  arithmetic  would  be  more 
useful,  considering  their  work  and  future.  She  thought 
not,  but  resolved  to  leave  it  to  themselves  to  decide. 


192         THE    DEVIL'S    RIDDLE 

So  at  their  next  meeting  she  put  the  question  to  them, 
"Which  do  you  prefer — instruction  in  the  poets  or  in 
boolc-keeping  ?  and,  not  to  hasten  their  decision,  left 
them  to  discuss  it  among  themselves,  telling  them  that 
she  would  come  back  for  their  answer.  When  she 
returned  she  found  that  only  two  of  the  girls  were 
in  favour  of  what  bore  upon  their  ordinary  work; 
all  the  rest  wished  what  would  take  them  away  from 
it  or  lift  them  above  it. 

We  get  splendid  glimpses  of  the  higher  suscepti- 
bilities and  possibilities  of  human  nature  when  and 
where  we  least  expect  them ;  a  noble  idealism  triumphs 
over  gross  secularism,  flashing  out  like  a  diamond  in 
the  dark.  By  the  glorious  energy  of  divine  light  and 
grace  this  faculty  of  disinterestedness  is  stimulated 
until  the  love  of  truth,  right,  and  beauty  fills  the  soul, 
and  the  whole  man  is  mastered  by  the  highest  impulses 
and  forces,  unconscious  of  meaner  interests  and  hopes. 
The  raiser  of  the  celebrated  Shirley  poppy  tells  how 
he  noticed  in  a  waste  corner  of  his  garden  a  patch  of 
common  wild  field-poppies,  one  solitary  flower  hav- 
ing a  very  narrow  edge  of  white ;  preserving  its  seed, 
and  by  careful  and  diligent  culture  year  by  year,  the 
successive  flowers  got  a  larger  infusion  of  white  to  tone 
down  the  red,  whilst  the  black  central  portion  was 
gradually  changed,  until  the  flower  throughout  became 
absolutely  a  pure  white.  Just  as  the  skill  of  man, 
taking  advantage  of  a  slight  tendency  in  the  flower, 
transforms  the  black  heart  and  fiery  leaves  of  a  poi- 
sonous weed  into  a  sort  of  eucharistic  lily;  so  divine 
grace  seizes  upon  the  gracious  susceptibilities  of  de- 
generate nature,  and  converts  the  selfish  soul  into  the 


THE     DEVIL'S     RIDDLE        193 

rarest  beauty  of  purity  and  disinterestedness.  We  have 
seen  too  many  delightful  changes  worked  in  humanity 
to  doubt  this  crowning  transformation.  Love  is  the 
fulfillmg  of  the  law,  and  asks  no  aid  from  lucre. 

Let  us  not  enter  on  the  religious  life  with  the 
thought  of  worldly  advantage.  It  is  quite  ad- 
missible to  defend  religion  against  the  reproaches  of 
secularism,  but  it  is  a  fatal  mistake  to  adopt 
religion  on  any  ground  of  worldly  welfare.  In  this 
age  far  too  much  is  made  of  the  big  loaf  and  the 
social  laurel  to  persuade  men  to  follow  Christ ;  and 
the  consequence  of  holding  forth  such  inducements 
can  only  be  unhappy.  Art  does  not  confer  upon  her 
elect  disciples  popularity,  or  J.  F.  Millet  would  not 
have  suffered  neglect ;  science  does  not  grant  opulence 
to  her  brilliant  sons,  or  Faraday  would  not  have  re- 
mained poor ;  literature  does  not  guarantee  social  emi- 
nence, or  Carlyle  would  not  have  lived  and  died  in  such 
modest  estate ;  nor  does  religion  tempt  by  vulgar  bribes 
of  worldly  largess.  They  who  followed  the  Master 
because  they  ate  of  the  loaves  and  were  filled  soon 
forsook  Him,  and  discipleship  inspired  by  hopes  of 
earthly  gain  is  ever  precarious.  It  is  only  when  we 
dare  to  serve  God  for  nought  that  we  discover  the 
infinite  riches  God's  nought  stands  for. 

Let  us  not  become  discontented  with  our  spiritual 
faith  if  it  ceases  to  be  accompanied  by  worldly  ad- 
vantage. The  vast  reward  of  a  godly  life  is  in  the 
soul  itself,  and  no  spoiling  of  our  goods  can  abate 
this  inward  wealth  and  felicity.  James  Smetham's 
painting,  poetry,  and  study  of  literature  did  not  lead 
to  conventional  success ;  yet  toward  the  end  of  life 


194        THE     DEVIL'S     RIDDLE 

he  wrote:  "In  my  own  secret  heart  I  look  on  myself 
as  one  who  has  got  on,  and  got  to  his  goal,  as  one 
who  has  got  something  a  thousand  times  better  than 
a  fortune,  more  real,  more  inward,  less  in  the  power 
of  others,  less  variable,  more  immortal,  more  eternal; 
as  one  whose  feet  are  on  a  rock,  his  goings  established, 
with  a  new  song  in  his  mouth,  and  joy  on  his  head." 
Here  is  the  exceeding  great  reward  of  devout  souls, 
however  carnal  fortune  may  fail. 


XXXIX 

THE  GRAND  GOAL  AND  THE 
LOWLr  PATH 

To  them  that  by  patience  in  well-doing  seek  for  glory  and 
honour  and  incorruption,  eternal  life. — Rom.  ii.  7. 

THE  Grandeur  of  the  Quest.— "Seek  for 
glory  and  honour  and  incorruption."  What 
thrilling  words  these  are  when  taken  with 
their  great  meanings !  Some  would  eliminate  them 
from  the  vocabulary,  and  shut  us  up  to  more  modest 
language.  But  take  these  words,  properly  understood, 
out  of  the  vocabulary,  and  what  will  be  the  effect  on 
character?  The  noblest  character,  the  strongest  and 
most  beautiful  life,  are  impossible  without  the  large 
ideas  and  hopes  expressed  in  these  terms.  One  of  the 
finest  orchids  in  the  world  is  found  in  England,  but 
owing  to  the  inclement  climate  it  grows  in  a  dwarfed 
form  destitute  of  beauty,  and  is  of  no  value ;  and  the 
various  virtues  which  bloom  so  radiantly  under  the 
quickening  influences  of  the  great  ideals  and  promises 
of  the  New  Testament,  dwindle  and  sicken  into  mere 
dull  properties  once  those  vital  influences  fail.  Su- 
preme character  is  born  and  sustained  in  magnificent 
spiritual  conceptions. 

Take  these  great  words  out  of  the  vocabulary,  and 
195 


196     GRAND  GOAL  AND  LOWLY  PATH 

what  will  be  the  effect  on  experience?  Can  the  spirit 
within  us  live  without  them?  "No,"  says  the  secular- 
ist; "the  spirit  of  man  will  not  be  content  without 
these  words ;  but  glory,  honour,  and  incorruption  are 
found  within  the  worldly  life."  Are  they?  "Glory" 
— have  we  that?  Glory  means  solidity,  reality,  dur- 
ability, and  certainly  we  know  nothing  of  these  in  the 
temporal  sphere.  If  the  spirituality  of  our  nature  is 
denied,  man  himself  is  palpably  only  a  bubble,  and  all 
the  worlds  inflated  films  floating  in  space  and  doomed 
to  vanish.  There  is  no  substance,  no  persistence  where 
there  is  no  spirit.  "Honour" — have  we  that?  When 
the  soul  is  denied,  we  become  like  the  beasts  which 
perish,  and  the  honours  of  life's  short  day  are  golden 
shoes,  purple  saddles,  jingling  bells.  "Immortality" — 
have  we  that  ?  Yes ;  fame.  Fame !  a  death's-head 
crowned  with  a  fading  wreath. 

The  fact  is,  we  have  not  these  things,  only  these 
words,  if  we  are  without  faith  in  God,  the  spirituality 
of  our  own  nature  and  the  eternal  world.  There  is 
no  lofty,  luminous  character,  no  rich,  satisfying  ex- 
perience, except  the  living  God  and  life  in  Him  are 
recognized.  "Thou  shalt  show  me  the  path  of  life; 
in  Thy  presence  is  fullness  of  joy ;  at  Thy  right  hand 
are  pleasures  for  evermore."  Let  us  seek  and  expect 
the  realization  of  these  great  words  in  their  largest  sig- 
nificance. "To  them  who  seek  for  glory  and  honour 
and  incorruption,  eternal  life."  Heaven  goes  beyond 
our  utmost  ideas,  aspirations,  and  hopes,  filling  our 
biggest  poetic  words  with  over-running,  infinite  mean- 
ing. We  have  seen  that  on  the  lips  of  men  these  words 
shrink  into  very  nothingness ;  but  God  gives  them  actu- 


GRAND  GOAL  AND  LOWLY  PATH  197 

ality,  widens  them  into  boundlessness,  and  fills  them 
to  overflowing  with  glorious  suggestion  and  promise. 
Aim  at  the  highest.  When  a  great  ideal  slips  out  of 
a  man's  soul,  he  begins  to  rot ;  only  as  we  cherish  high 
and  holy  thoughts  and  beliefs  do  we  find  rest  to  our 
soul,  and  reach  the  stature  of  the  perfect  man. 

The  Simplicity  of  the  Pathway. — "To  them 
that  by  patience  in  well-doing  seek."  There  is  some- 
thing quite  startling  between  the  grandeur  of  the  aim 
and  the  homeliness  of  the  condition.  "Well-doing." 
"Glory,  honour,  and  incorruption"  are  usually  sought 
in  very  different  paths,  but  at  last  the  plain  path  is 
the  royal  one.  Not  brilliant  strokes  in  trade,  war,  or 
scholarship,  but  zvcll-doing  in  ordinary  life.  Doing 
humbly,  purely,  justly,  hopefully  the  work  God  has 
assigned,  whatever  that  work  maybe.  Fulfilling  our 
task  with  a  willing  mind,  a  loving  heart,  and  both 
hands.  Nothing  heroic ;  only  faithfulness,  simple  dili- 
gence, and  quiet  perseverance  in  being  good,  getting 
good,  doing  good.  In  this  world  the  grand  prizes 
chiefly  go  to  the  brilliant  few ;  the  rewards  for  patient 
continuance  in  well-doing  are  painfully  rare  and  mod- 
est. It  was  so  at  school  where  we  began.  The  bril- 
liant fellows  got  everything;  the  dull  plodders  little 
if  anything.  It  is  thus  in  the  big  world.  Dull  merit, 
patient  conscientiousness,  are  lightly  passed  over.  The 
world  affects  men  who  can  conduct  a  dashing  cam- 
paign, deliver  a  brilliant  speech,  pull  a  fortune  out  of 
the  fire,  or  engineer  dramatic  movements ;  it  worships 
genius,  brilliance,  audacity.  The  laurels  of  society 
are  reserved  for  extraordinary  talents  and  histrionic 
achievements.    What  a  blessing  to  know  that  God  rec- 


198     GRAND  GOAL  AND  LOWLY  PATH 

ognizes  patient  merit,  and  that  He  reserves  the  major 
prizes  for  dutiful  souls  faithful  unto  death ! 

Heaven  recognizes  the  greatness  of  simple  charac- 
ter. The  greatest  moral  qualities,  powers,  and  virtues 
exist  in  the  humblest  men  and  women.  A  musician 
listening  to  the  talk  of  common  people  can  distinguish 
in  the  cadences  of  their  voices  chords  of  the  world's 
greatest  music,  notes  of  its  sweetest  songs  and  mighti- 
est oratorios;  and  the  sublimest  faith  and  heroism  of 
prophets,  apostles,  and  martyrs  are  revealed  in  the 
works  and  ways  of  the  dim  multitude.  It  is  easy  to 
overlook  great  character  in  humble  guise,  yet  it  is 
clearly  seen  by  Him  who  appreciates  it  the  most.  An 
art  critic  affirms  that  "scale  is  not  a  very  important 
element  in  distinct  impression" ;  but  we  are  afraid  that 
fine  moral  character  and  action  are  repeatedly  un- 
marked by  us  when  they  lack  social  magnitude  and 
conspicuousness.  When  magnanimity,  patience,  in- 
tegrity, purity,  and  all  the  other  graces  are  only  on 
the  inch  scale  of  lowly  life,  they  are  liable  to  be  ignored 
or  disesteemed ;  we  can  appreciate  majestic  lines  and 
fair  colours  only  in  heroic  figures  and  expansive  car- 
toons. But  He  who  is  a  Spirit,  and  who  judges  ac- 
cording to  truth,  knows  little  of  size  and  show ;  in 
His  reckoning,  the  vastness  of  the  circle  is  nothing, 
the  exactly  round  being  the  question ;  the  length  of  the 
line  is  not  measured,  only  its  straightness  noted ;  the 
magnitude  of  the  object  is  of  trifling  import,  its  truth- 
fulness is  the  essential  thing,  even  if  that  truth- 
fulness is  revealed  only  by  the  microscope.  God  knows 
the  spiritual  essence  of  all  that  is  done,  and  unerringly 
recognizes   the   great   soul    in   the   small    act.      Many 


GRAND  GOAL  AND  LOWLY  PATH     199 

amongst  us  are  greater  than  they  know ;  their  actions 
greater  than  they  think.  ,We  have  all  heard  of  the 
man  who  spoke  prose  for  forty  years  without  know- 
ing it ;  but  a  fact  of  far  greater  interest  is  that  scores 
of  men  speak  poetry  without  knowing  it — nay,  act 
splendid  poetry  without  knowing  it ;  and  God  shall  sur- 
prise them  with  glory,  honour,  and  incorruption  be- 
yond their  most  glowing  dream. 

God  recognizes  the  greatness  of  simple  duty.  In 
a  lowly  post,  entrusted  with  commonplace  offices, 
called  daily  to  discharge  the  most  menial  service,  we 
may  express  the  noblest  conscientiousness,  the  most 
exquisite  feeling,  sublimest  principle  and  behaviour. 
Lafcadio  Hearn,  in  his  last  book  on  Japan,  writes  thus  v 
about  the  tea  ceremonies  which  are  such  a  feature 
in  the  female  education  of  this  artistic  people:  "The 
elaborate  character  of  these  ceremonies  could  be  ex- 
plained only  by  the  help  of  many  pictures ;  and  it  re- 
quires years  of  training  and  practice  to  graduate  in  the 
art  of  them.  Yet  the  whole  of  this  art,  as  to  detail, 
signifies  no  more  than  the  making  and  serving  of  a 
cup  of  tea.  However,  it  is  a  real  art — a  most  exquisite 
art.  The  actual  making  of  the  infusion  is  a  matter 
of  no  consequence  in  itself:  the  supremely  important 
matter  is  that  the  act  be  performed  in  the  most  per- 
fect, most  polite,  most  graceful,  most  charming  man- 
ner possible.  Everything  done — from  the  kindling  of 
the  charcoal  fire  to  the  presentation  of  the  tea — must 
be  done  according  to  rules  of  supreme  etiquette ;  rules 
requiring  natural  grace  as  well  as  great  patience  to 
fully  master.  Therefore  a  training  in  the  tea  cere- 
monies is  still  held  to  be  a  training  in  politeness,  in 


200     GRAND  GOAL  AND  LOWLY  PATH 

self-control,  in  delicacy — a  discipline  in  deportment." 
The  matter  of  making  and  serving-  a  cup  of  tea  has 
been  invested  with  all  this  importance;  it  has 
been  made  the  frail  instrument  of  artistic  discipline, 
and  has  become  the  sign  of  culture.  Not  in  studies 
and  exercises  of  a  splendid  and  expensive  order,  open 
to  the  elect  few,  have  these  wonderful  people  found 
the  training  for  refined  action  and  delicate  behaviour, 
but  in  the  simple,  cheap,  daily  act  of  domestic  life.  Did 
not  our  Master  teach  the  same  lesson  on  a  higher  plane 
with  the  cup  of  cold  water,  where  the  grace  of  the 
gift  is  the  chief  thing,  and  the  gift  itself  the  symbol 
of  the  highest  character?  The  training  for  glory, 
honour,  and  incorruption  lies  in  the  right  use  of  voca- 
tions and  vessels  accounted  vulgar  by  the  thoughtless ; 
and  they  who  are  faithful  in  that  which  is  least  shall 
inherit  all  things. 

God  recognizes  the  greatness  of  simple  suffering. 
A  writer  has  recently  protested  that  the  world  just  now 
wants  heroes.  Society  comprehends  more  heroes  than 
it  knows.  Gordon  flashed  a  splendid  figure  on  the 
imagination  of  the  world,  but  many  such  heroes  are 
hidden  in  obscure  life.  The  hidden  ones  are  sometimes 
much  the  more  glorious.  Carlyle  awoke  Europe  with 
his  monstrous  melody  if  a  neighbour's  cock  happened 
to  crow ;  yet  simple  people  all  around  us  bear  uncom- 
plainingly the  most  bitter  suffering,  bravely  resist  the 
most  terrible  temptations,  and  with  manly  silence  sus- 
tain the  heaviest  burdens.  Obscure  life  conceals  illus- 
trious heroism,  known  only  to  God,  but  it  is  known 
to  Him,  and  shall  not  lose  its  recompense  of  reward. 

Let  us  not  despise  lowly  station  and  the  hum-drum 


GRAND  GOAL  AND  LOWLY  PATH    201 

life.  If  we  cannot  belong  to  the  flowers  of  the  gar- 
den, the  aristocracy  of  flowers,  let  us  be  content  to 
be  flowers  of  the  grass — very  beautiful  in  the  eyes 
of  Him  who  makes  the  grass  to  grow  upon  the  moun- 
tains, and  who  clothes  with  grace  the  lily  of  the  field. 
Not  in  brilliance,  but  in  simple  work  honestly  wrought 
are  we  perfected.  Let  us  believe  in  high  truths,  and 
at  the  same  time  in  the  divinity  of  fag. 

Be  mild,  and  cleave  to  gentle  things. 
Thy  glory  and  thy  happiness  be  there. 


XL 
PASSIVE  FAITH 

What  doth  it  profit,  my  brethren,  if  a  man  say  he  hath  faith, 
but  have  not  works?  can  that  faith  save  him? — ^Jas.  ii.  14. 

A  MAN'S  consciousness  of  his  relation  to  God 
may  be  so  vague  that  it  exercises  no  influence 
.whatever  on  his  character  and  conduct,  or  let 
us  say,  no  appreciable  influence.  It  is  possible  to  hold 
the  Christian  creed  so  faintly  that  it  exerts  no  more 
practical  influence  over  us  than  our  knowledge  of 
mythology.  Lord  Bacon  writes  of  "bed-ridden  truths." 
He  means  truths  dimly  seen  and  ineffectually  realized : 
truths  which,  for  some  reason  or  other,  do  not  assert 
themselves  and  produce  the  effects  to  which  they  are 
logically  competent.  Through  long  ages  master  think- 
ers get  glimpses  of  the  idea,  in  some  measure  they 
expound  and  enforce  it,  but  it  remains  nebulous  and 
ineffective,  a  mere  speculation. 

It  was  thus  with  the  doctrine  of  liberty.  Through 
many  generations  great  thinkers  appreciated  the  obli- 
gation and  grandeur  of  freedom  in  thought  and  gov- 
ernment, and  ever  and  anon  vindicated  most  eloquently 
"the  liberty  of  prophesying" ;  yet  it  was  only  in  mod- 
ern times  that  their  contention  proved  availing,  and 
liberty  of  thought  and  speech  was  granted.    The  truths 

202 


PASSIVE     FAITH  ^03 

were  within  ken,  and  received  logical  attestation,  but, 
as  Bacon  pictures  them,  they  were  "bed-ridden" ;  they 
were  blear-eyed,  had  no  use  of  their  hands,  only  found 
their  voice  as  a  sleeper  does  in  nightmare,  they  were 
weak  in  their  ankle  joints,  and  could  not  descend  the 
stair  and  make  themselves  felt  in  the  street,  the  mar- 
ket-place, parliament,  the  academy,  and  the  temple.  It 
is  with  the  race  as  with  the  individual.  Nominal  Chris- 
tians verbally  subscribe  to  all  the  articles  of  the  creed, 
but  the  glorious  truths  they  confess  with  their  lip  are 
invalided  and  sterile.  Their  mind  is  a  dormitory  of 
slumbering  admissions,  a  sick  ward  of  impotent  beliefs, 
anaemic  sentiments,  paralytic  and  crippled  purposes. 
This  phantom  faith  does  not  energize,  constrain,  in- 
spire, transform,  or  make  anything  it  touches  to  live. 
We  call  this  "faith,"  but  really  it  has  no  claim  to 
be  thus  distinguished — rather  ought  it  to  be  known 
as  fancy  opinion,  speculation,  or  sentiment.  How  does 
the  New  Testament  describe  faith?  "Who  through 
faith  subdued  kingdoms,  wrought  righteousness,  ob- 
tained promises,  stopped  the  mouths  of  lions,  quenched 
the  violence  of  fire,  escaped  the  edge  of  the  sword, 
out  of  weakness  were  made  strong,  waxed  valiant  in 
fight,  turned  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens."  This 
is  what  revelation  means  by  faith — conviction,  en- 
thusiasm, sacrifice,  heroism — the  victory  that  over- 
cometh  self,  sin,  and  the  world.  How  far  away  to-day 
is  the  faith  of  thousands  from  this  vital  force?  Our 
creed  is  in  our  memory,  on  our  lip,  it  revolves  in 
our  imagination,  we  give  a  faint,  general,  unimpas- 
sioned  assent  to  the  supreme  verities ;  but  our  so-called 
faith  does  not  force  its  way  into  thought,  experience, 


204  PASSIVE    FAITH 

and  conduct ;  it  does  not  command  our  understanding, 
kindle  our  affections,  energize  our  will,  hallow  our  life. 
A  heartfelt  confidence  in  God  and  in  His  Son  Jesus 
Christ  is  quickening  throughout  the  whole  personality 
and  life  as  sunshine  upon  germs  sown  in  honest 
ground;  the  traditional  faith  of  the  nominal  believer 
is  moonshine  on  snow.  The  faith  that  worketh  by 
love,  purifying  and  kindling  the  heart,  has  the  magical 
virtue  of  a  summer's  day  which  makes  everything  to 
live;  the  phantom  faith  of  the  conventional  orthodox 
is  the  frigid  lustre  of  the  northern  lights, 

"Can  that  faith  save  him?"  We  are  assured  that  an 
educated  Hindu  will  pass  an  examination  in  hygiene 
and  then  look  on  complacently  while  every  imaginable 
sanitary  law  is  violated  within  the  walls  of  his  own 
compound.  He  does  not  so  realize  his  science  as  to 
appreciate  its  practical  import,  he  is  content  with  the 
abstruse  knowledge,  never  proceeding  to  apply  it.  Does 
that  faith  save  him?  Is  the  educated  Hindu  in  his 
filthy  compound  delivered  by  his  abstract  knowledge 
from  enteric,  plague,  cholera?  We  know  that  his 
theoretic  science  gives  him  no  immunity  whatever ;  he 
falls  a  victim  to  the  prevailing  epidemic  just  as  read- 
ily as  do  those  who  never  heard  of  any  science  of 
health.  Likewise  the  nominal  saint  masters  the  creeds, 
sometimes  so  thoroughly  that  he  could  pass  a  theo- 
logical examination,  and  then  in  actual  experience  and 
conduct  violates  every  great  spiritual  and  moral  law. 
Will  his  faith  save  him  ?  Nay,  does  it  save  him  ?  Does 
it  save  him  from  guilty  fear,  filling  his  heart  with 
the  peace  of  God's  adopted  children?  Does  it 
save    from    the    power    of    passion    and    selfishness, 


PASSIVE     FAITH  205 

strengthening  him  to  hve  in  purity  and  love?  Does 
it  save  in  the  day  of  temptation,  enabling  the  tempted 
one  to  put  away  the  evil  thing?  Does  it  save  in  the 
day  of  trouble,  bringing  strong  consolation  into  the 
stricken  heart?  The  theoretic  knowledge  of  the  Hindu, 
who  practically  disregards  sanitary  law,  cannot  save 
him  from  disease  and  death,  so  the  notional  ghostly 
faith  of  the  nominal  Christian  is  not  able  to  save  him 
from  overmastering  passion,  sloth,  sadness,  and  sin. 
And  what  fails  to  save  here  and  now  is  not  likely  to 
save  us  elsewhere  and  hereafter.  That  faith,  and  that 
faith  alone,  which  is  genuine  enough  and  strong 
enough  to  bring  peace  and  purity  now,  can  secure  us 
eternal  salvation.  What  stops  with  fancy  and  dreams 
is  of  little  count  in  any  department  of  life,  least  of  all 
in  questions  of  character  and  destiny. 


XLI 
FAITH  AND  MORALS 

Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  did  W6  not 
prophesy  by  Thy  name,  and  by  Thy  name  cast  out  devils,  and 
by  Thy  name  do  many  mighty  works?  And  then  will  I  profess 
unto  them,  I  never  knetv  yon:  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work 
iniquity. — Matt.  vii.  22,  23. 

RELIGIOUS  faith  may  be  held  so  that  it  affects 
character  injuriously,  and  works  out  in  ways 
>^  and  acts  of  unrighteousness.  In  a  letter  writ- 
ten by  the  late  Mr.  Gladstone  to  the  Duchess  of  Suther- 
land occurs  this  passage:  "There  is  one  proposition 
which  the  experience  of  life  burns  into  my  soul ;  it  is 
this,  that  man  should  beware  of  letting  his  religion  spoil 
his  morality.  In  a  thousand  ways,  some  great,  some 
small,  but  all  subtle,  we  are  daily  tempted  to  that  great 
sin."  How  well  founded  is  this  admonition  to  beware 
of  letting  our  religion  spoil  our  morality !  The  Phari- 
sees of  our  Lord's  day  show  how  real  this  danger  is. 
The  result  of  their  energetic  religious  faith  was  de- 
plorable ;  it  produced  the  worst  type  of  character  we 
know.  "Working  death  by  that  which  is  good"  was 
the  melancholy  distinction  of  the  Pharisee. 

History  furnishes  abundant  proof  of  the  ruinous 
effects  of  misdirected  religious  faith.  We  see  how  the 
vices  come  to  their  last  sad  perfection   in   religious 

206 


FAITH     AND     MORALS  j:07 

circles  and  atmospheres.  The  Inquisition  made  of 
cruelty  a  fine  art.  The  Jesuits  reduced  duplicity  to  a 
science.  Ecclesiastical  tyranny  has  ever  been  the  worst 
form  of  tyranny.  Pride  reached  its  apotheosis  in  the 
successors  of  the  apostles.  The  Puritans  contrived  to 
give  to  virtue  a  fierceness  and  hardness  which  made 
it  repulsive.  And  the  golden  calf  was  never  wor- 
shipped more  passionately  than  by  those  who  sought 
to  make  the  best  of  both  worlds.  Nowhere  has  pride 
been  more  lofty,  gluttony  more  greedy,  craft  more 
subtle,  ingratitude  more  base,  covetousness  more 
grasping,  temper  more  fierce,  cruelty  more  unsparing, 
than  when  and  where  prompted  and  consecrated  by 
religious  faith  and  zeal.  Immorality  cannot  be  brought 
to  its  last  inglorious  maturity  without  some  sort  of 
religious  stimulation.  "Thou  believest  that  there  is 
one  God ;  thou  doest  well :  the  devils  also  believe,  and 
tremble."  And  they  could  not  be  the  ghastly  shapes 
they  are  if  they  did  not  believe.  This  effect  is  inevit- 
able if  faith  through  ignorance,  prejudice,  or  insin- 
cerity operates  on  wrong  lines.  Religious  belief  is  "the 
savour  of  life  unto  life,  or  of  death  unto  death" ;  and 
it  is  an  indirect  testimony  to  the  divinity  of  our  religion 
that  the  worst  of  character  is  bread  in  the  Christian 
Church. 

Grace  abused  brings  forth  the  foulest  deeds, 
As  richest  soil  the  most  hixuriant  weeds. 

Great  indeed  are  the  obligations  and  perils  of  religious 
belief;  we  must  be  much  the  better  or  terribly  the 
worse  for  it.  The  science  of  electricity  puts  us  in  the 
front  of  civilization,  but  he  who  blimders  with  it  is 


208  FAITH     AND     MORALS 

a  corpse ;  and  the  action  of  religious  enthusiasm  is 
similarly  decisive.  If  a  spiritual  faith  does  not  corrteCt 
our  native  faults,  it  accentuates  and  exaggerates  them. 
The  intolerant  become  more  fiercely  dogmatic,  the  ir- 
ritable more  bitterly  irascible,  the  mean  unspeakably 
contemptible,  and  the  sins  of  the  flesh  affecting  re- 
ligious sanctions  are  peculiarly  odious.  By  miscontep- 
tion  and  misdirection,  by  mistaken  ends  and  methods, 
we  turn  the  grace  of  God  to  lasciviousness. 

Religious  faith  must  be  so  held  that  it  glorifies 
character ;  the  faith  which  spoils  morality  cannot  save. 
"And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew  you : 
depart  from  Me,  ye  that  work  iniquity."  The  one 
great  ideal  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  is  the 
transfiguration  of  character,  the  holiness  of  life.  Every 
visitor  to  Palestine  is  impressed  with  the  promin^ice 
of  Mount  Hermon.  That  superb,  isolated  cone,  cov- 
ered with  snow  nearly  all  the  year,  is  practically  visible 
from  every  district  and  corner  of  the  Holy  Land, 
Whether  you  journey  in  Judea,  Samaria,  or  Galilee, 
whatever  may  be  the  locality  or  point  of  view,  one 
never  gets  away  from  that  dazzling  dome.  As  Her- 
mon dominates  Palestine,  so  does  the  idea  of  holiness 
dominate  revelation.  Whether  the  sacred  writer  is 
treating  of  cosmogony,  history,  philosophy,  prophecy, 
or  doctrine,  righteousness  is  the  motive  and  aim  of 
his  argument.  We  are  no  more  permitted  to  lose  sight 
of  purity  than  the  geography  of  the  sacred  land  allows 
its  people  to  lose  sight  of  Hermon's  stainless  crest. 
Religion  does  not  call  upon  us  for  "many  mighty 
works,"  or,  indeed,  for  any  "mighty"  work  whatever; 
it  calls  for  good  works,  for  whatsoever  is  true,  honest, 


FAITH     AND     MORALS  209 

pure,  and  lovely.  If  we  would  not  that  our  religious 
faith  should  spoil  our  morality,  let  us  keep  this  truth 
continually  in  mind. 

A  true  faith  will  not  distort  character,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  bring  it  to  splendid  perfection.  If  religion 
is  not  to  mar  our  morality,  we  must  have  the  right 
kind  of  religion,  and  the  right  kind  is  the  faith  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  In  Him  we  see  exemplified 
the  holiness  for  which  revelation  everywhere  pleads ; 
and  in  Him  we  find  the  grace  making  that  holiness 
possible.  We  must  fix  our  eye,  not  on  traditionalism 
or  ecclesiasticism,  but  on  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face 
of  Jesus  Qirist.  Whenever  we  examine  the  religion 
that  disfigures  character  and  perverts  conduct,  we  dis- 
cover that  it  is  a  religion  vitiated  by  foreign  elements, 
a  faith  lacking  simplicity  and  spirituality.  It  is  occu- 
pied with  antiquity,  its  controversies  and  interpreta- 
tions. It  is  largely  biased  by  ecclesiastical  canons, 
rubrics,  and  theories.  No  longer  the  direct,  clear 
vision  of  the  Lord,  it  has  become  obscure  and  oblique. 
We  ever  need  to  fix  our  eye  on  the  living  Christ  and 
the  great  facts  and  verities  of  His  gospel.  It  is  so  easy 
to  let  human  teachings  and  institutions  blind  us  to  the 
divine  holiness,  which  is  the  first  and  last  question 
for  us  all.  Clinging  to  "the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ," 
we  cannot  get  far  wrong  on  matters  of  moral  duty.  If 
we  cherish  His  Spirit,  we  shall  be  saved  from  the 
sophistry  which  turns  grace  into  lasciviousness ;  and 
if  we  daily  walk  with  Him,  all  noble  virtues  and  sweet 
graces  will  spontaneously  spring  in  our  heart  and  life. 


XLII 

REALITY  AND  RANGE  IN 
CHRISTIAN  FAITH 

And  the  apostles  said  unto  the  Lord,  Increase  our  faith. 
And  the  Lord  said,  If  ye  have  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard 
seed,  ye  would  say  unto  this  sycamine  tree,  Be  thou  rooted  up, 
and  be  thou  planted  in  the  sea;  and  it  would  have  obeyed  you. 
— Luke  xvii.  5,  6. 

<A  S  a  rule  we  are  more  anxious  about  the  range 
/\  of  our  faith  than  about  its  reality.  We  are 
j[^  ^_  most  concerned  that  faith  should  be  commen- 
surate with  the  great  creeds ;  and  if  we  find  ourselves 
unable  to  receive  this  article  or  that,  we  regard  our- 
selves as  excluded  from  the  household  of  faith.  Does 
not  our  Lord  in  the  text  teach  that  the  matter  of  first 
import  is  not  the  comprehensiveness  or  intensity  of 
faith,  but  its  reality  ?  Faith,  however  limited  or  feeble, 
if  only  genuine  and  vital,  is  full  of  efficacy.  A  grain 
of  genuine  trust  in  the  righteous  God,  in  the  super- 
natural universe,  in  the  divine  government,  in  the  vir- 
tue of  the  Cross,  in  the  power  of  grace,  in  the  life 
everlasting,  contains  within  itself  all  virtue  and  prom- 
ise. A  hundred  guineas  were  recently  refused  for  a 
microscopic  speck  of  the  pollen  of  a  rare  orchid,  so 
precious  is  the  dust  of  beauty.  The  fact  is,  that  micro- 
scopic speck  of  pollen  would  have  enabled  its  pur- 

210 


REALITY  AND  RANGE  IN  FAITH     211 

chaser  to  produce  no  one  knows  what  abundance  of 
hybrid  and  original  orchids ;  to  have  adorned  his  own 
and  a  thousand  other  conservatories  with  new  and 
dehghtful  flowers.  So  our  Lord  teaches  that  out  of 
a  microscopic  speck  of  genuine  faith  in  God,  in  His 
most  holy  Word,  in  His  eternal  promise  in  Girist 
Jesus,  will  spring  purity  and  peace,  strength  and  vic- 
tory, high  character  and  heroic  service — in  this  world 
all  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  and  in  the  next  all  the 
flowers  and  fruits  of  paradise.  A  vague,  passive  faith 
that  is  neither  belief  nor  disbelief  is  worth  little ; 
a  sterling  faith,  however  weak  and  hesitating,  holds 
the  potency  and  promise  of  universal  grace  and 
glory. 

A  religious  faith  that  is  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed 
greatly  distinguishes  its  possessor,  and  invests  him 
with  a  glorious  moral  mastery.  How  wonderful  it  is 
when  a  man  is  born  with  a  grain  of  poetry  in  his 
brain !  That  fact  dififerentiates  him  from  the  vast  ma- 
jority of  men,  and  gives  to  his  words  and  work  charm 
and  power.  In  his  imagination  common  things  are 
mysteriously  enhanced,  the  splendour  of  nature  unseen 
by  other  eyes  dazzles  his,  and  human  life,  so  prosaic 
to  the  mass,  is  romantic  to  one  in  whose  soul  shines 
the  poetic  gleam.  We  may  inherit  only  a  grain  of 
poetry,  yet  that  mystic  atom  makes  an  almost  infinite 
difiference;  the  world  that  otherwise  were  a  dust-heap 
is  a  jewel-heap,  and  life  that  otherwise  were  dark  and 
dull  is  sprinkled  with  azure  and  gold.  And  this  mere 
dust  of  poetry  in  the  brain  creates  the  picture,  the 
music,  the  song,  the  oration  about  which  men  talk  and 
which  they  do  not  willingly  let  die.    What  a  wonderful 


212    REALITY  AND  RANGE  IN  FAITH 

gift  is  a  spark  of  genius!  It  is  indefinable,  elusive, 
incalculable,  yet  the  difference  that  it  establishes  be- 
tween men  is  immense;  they  who  possess  it  are  seers 
looking  straight  into  the  secret  of  things,  and  by  their 
knowledge  of  the  laws  and  forces  of  nature  they  make 
us  masters  of  the  situation.  A  spark  of  genius  con- 
stitutes a  unique  personality,  one  gifted  with  vision 
and  sovereign  skill,  a  miracle-worker  in  the  natural 
sphere. 

So  our  Lord  declares  it  to  be  with  the  believer  whose 
faith  is  "as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed."  It  is  far  from 
being  a  completed  faculty  or  exercise,  but  the  least  in 
the  kingdom  of  God  have  in  their  actual,  sympathetic, 
transforming  confidence  in  a  higher  world  a  most  pre- 
cious source  of  vision  and  energy.  What  the  grain  of 
poetry  or  the  spark  of  genius  is  in  the  mental  world, 
the  gleam  of  spiritual  faith  is  in  all  that  pertains  to  the 
higher  life  of  man.  One  vivid  vision  of  God — His 
goodness,  holiness,  nearness ;  one  real  sight  of  the 
Saviour's  all-sufficing  merit  and  love ;  one  heartfelt 
experience  of  the  virtue  of  heavenly  grace ;  one  flash 
of  the  eternity  which  awaits  us  and  which  is  so  surely 
ours, — these,  or  any  of  these,  inspire  a  power  which 
can  remove  mountains,  reveal  all  life  in  a  new  light, 
and  bring  into  the  soul  consolations  and  hopes  far 
beyond  anything  known  to  the  natural  man.  The  main 
thing  is  not  to  believe  in  many  propositions  faintly  and 
doubtfully,  but  to  get  a  fast  grip  upon  the  truths  by 
which  men  live.  All  the  great  doctrines  of  salvation 
are  related,  and  hang  together  by  secret  bonds ;  and 
if  we  once  get  hold  of  any  of  these,  we  may  be  sure 
that  the  Spirit  of  truth  will  in  due  season  lead  us  into 


REALITY  AND  RANGE  IN  FAITH     213 

the  whole  truth.  Having  seen  "His  star,"  all  fainter 
stars  and  nebulas  on  the  far  horizon  may  be  trusted  in 
due  time  to  resolve  themselves  into  bright  constella- 
tions. We  have  only  to  be  afraid  when  we  hold  no 
one  saving  truth  with  any  clearness  or  sincerity. 

"One  thing  I  know,  that  whereas  I  was  blind,  now 
I  see."  The  modesty  of  the  testimony  of  the  man 
born  blind  may  be  imitated  by  us  with  great  advantage. 
The  scientist  is  often  content  to  study  a  single  branch 
of  knowledge,  to  apprehend  and  illustrate  one  great 
principle  of  nature.  Ordinary  men  regard  such  ex- 
tremely limited  specialism  as  quite  unworthy  and  of 
little  value,  but  the  thinker  knows  better.  He  knows 
that  to  really  master  a  fragment  is  to  get  hold  of 
universal  truth.  As  Sir  James  Paget  writes :  'Tf  the 
field  of  any  specialty  in  science  be  narrow,  it  can  be 
dug  deeply.  In  science,  as  in  mining,  a  very  narrow 
shaft,  if  only  it  be  carried  deep  enough,  may  reach 
the  richest  stores  of  wealth,  and  find  use  for  all  the 
appliances  of  scientific  art."  So  our  view  of  spiritual 
truth  may  be  confined ;  yet  if  it  only  be  genuine  and 
go  deep  enough,  it  will  in  due  time  bring  us  into  pos- 
session of  treasures  of  knowledge  beyond  all  our 
thought  and  hope.  Into  many  historical,  metaphysical, 
and  ecclesiastical  questions  we  find  ourselves  unable 
to  enter,  yet  we  need  not  worry  about  this ;  grasping 
fundamental  gospel  truths  with  a  sincere  and  sympa- 
thetic heart,  God  will  in  due  order  reveal  related  truths 
as  we  are  able  to  receive  and  bear  them.  Such  a 
genuine  belief  will  certainly  grow  in  clearness,  full- 
ness, and  intensity.  Let  us,  then,  seek  that  hold  upon 
God  as  revealed  in  Christ,  in  which  meet  the  concur- 


214     REALITY  AND  RANGE  IN  FAITH 

rence  of  the  mind,  the  conscience,  the  affections,  and 
the  will ;  and  such  a  faith,  although  now  like  a  grain 
of  mustard  seed,  shall  wax  into  noonday  clearness  and 
all-conquering  power. 


XLIII 

THE  CONDITION  OF 
RIGHTEOUSNESS 

The  just  shall  live  by  his  faith. — Hab.  ii.  4. 

GREAT  ethical  thinkers  in  all  ages  have  un- 
-  derstood  the  profound  significance  of  this 
declaration,  that  the  sense  of  the  supernatural 
is  the  foundation  and  dynamic  of  righteous  life. 
Grasping  the  facts  of  the  unseen  we  are  able  to  main- 
tain our  integrity  in  days  of  darkness  and  perplexity, 
of  temptation  and  suffering,  of  threatening  and  peril. 
By  faith  we  become  just.  This  is  the  great  truth 
which  St.  Paul  grasped  as  against  the  traditionalism  of 
the  Jew,  which  Martin  Luther  urged  as  against  papal 
ceremonialism.  "I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gos- 
pel ..  .  for  therein  is  revealed  a  righteousness 
of  God  by  faith  unto  faith:  as  it  is  written.  But  the 
righteous  shall  live  by  faith"  (Rom.  i,  16,  17).  The 
moral  law  convicts  and  condemns,  but  God  in  Christ 
has  discovered  for  us  the  grounds  of  pardon  and 
grace,  the  secret  of  renewal  and  righteousness.  Tak- 
ing God  at  His  word,  trusting  in  His  declared  mercy, 
resting  on  the  infinite  merit  of  that  sacrifice  in  which 
God  Himself  was  well  pleased,  the  penitent  consciously 
passes  from  death  unto  life.  His  iniquity  is  forgiven, 
his  sin  covered,  he  is  treated  as  a  discharged  and  right- 
eous man,  and  when  God  treats  a  man  as  righteous  He 

215 


216  THE  CONDITION  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS 

makes  him  so.  This  is  the  justification  by  faith  of 
which  St.  Paul  treats  so  copiously ;  this  is  the  doctrine 
which  gave  peace  to  Luther  and  vitality  to  his  teach- 
ing. We  are  not  accounted  righteous,  nor  made  so, 
by  any  ecclesiastical  routine  whatever ;  nor  does  a  me- 
chanical obedience  to  the  law  put  us  into  a  right 
relation  to  God  or  effect  in  us  any  change;  we  attain 
forgiveness,  justification,  and  sanctification  only  as  we 
grasp  the  promises  of  God  in  our  redeeming  Lord. 
"With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness," 
Being  thus  justified  by  faith  we  have  peace  with  God. 
And  by  faith  the  just  live.  They  so  confide  in  the 
righteous  God  and  in  His  declared  promises,  they 
remain  so  entirely  loyal  to  the  heavenly  vision  and 
hope  which  are  beyond  the  ken  of  the  natural  man,  that 
they  are  secretly  strengthened  in  the  darkest  hours  to 
hold  fast  their  integrity.  Faith  in  God  means  con- 
fidence in  Him,  fellowship  with  Him,  devotion  to  Him ; 
and  such  whole-hearted  trust  is  the  inspiration  and 
guarantee  of  highest  character,  even  when  the  stress 
and  strain  of  life  are  most  severe. 

But  are  not  many  "just,"  without  faith?  Is  not 
high  character  continually  met  with  that  has  dis- 
pensed with  supernatural  stimulation?  Christ  says, 
"By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them."  Must  we  not 
therefore  allow  that  consistently  moral  men  are  in  the 
right,  and  that  the  promptings  and  succours  of  a 
religious  faith  are  not  indispensable?  Our  Lord's 
words  are  not  to  be  interpreted  in  the  facile  shallow 
way  that  so  many  people  think.  As  Professor  Seeley 
wrote  in  Ecce  Homo :  "It  is  true  that  the  good  man 
does  good  deeds,  but  it  is  not  necessarily  true  that 


THE  CONDITION  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS  217 

he  who  does  good  deeds  is  a  good  man.  The  difficulty 
of  determining  whether  a  man  is  or  is  not  good  has 
now  become  a  commonplace  of  moralists  and  satirists." 
How  far  the  good  behaviour  of  men  is  the  result  of 
their  personal  faith  and  quality  is  a  subject  for  investi- 
gation, and  a  very  difficult  subject.  A  while  ago,  in 
a  London  suburb,  a  professional  gentleman  gave  a 
garden-party,  and  to  surprise  his  friends  he  decorated 
the  branches  of  his  trees  with  flowers  and  fruits  they 
had  not  known  before.  Golden  citrons  spangled  the 
graceful  birch ;  willows  displayed  crimson  blossoms ; 
oaks,  instead  of  acorns,  dropped  down  peaches,  apples, 
and  plums ;  hollies  displayed  purple  clusters ;  and  all 
the  branches  of  the  garden  bore  fruits  pleasant  to  the 
eye  and  sweet  to  the  taste,  yet  entirely  at  variance  with 
the  character  of  the  trees  on  which  they  grew.  "By 
their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them."  Not  this  time.  They 
were  not  their  fruits  at  all ;  the  things  of  beauty  and 
sweetness  were  artificially  fastened  to  alien  stems,  and 
were  no  proofs  of  the  nature  or  goodness  of  the  tree 
on  which  they  were  imposed. 

It  is  much  the  same  with  thousands  of  moral  men 
and  women  of  our  day.  The  pleasant  fruits  supposed 
to  express  their  fine  quality  are  not  their  fruits  at 
all.  These  virtues  must  be  traced  to  other  roots  and 
stems,  the  good  behaviour  in  question  being  largely 
the  reflection  of  the  general  civilization  which  has  been 
created  by  ages  of  faith.  Inheritance  and  environment 
account  for  many  proprieties  which  have  little  if  any 
root  in  the  living  soul  of  those  who  boast  them.  If 
these  amiable  and  blameless  ones  were  planted  in  the 
wilderness,  beyond  the  ring-fence  of  a  civilization  sat- 


218  THE  CONDITION  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS 

iirated  by  a  spiritual  faith,  it  would  be  seen  how  little 
these  gracious  fruits  belong  to  them,  and  how  little 
they  signify  the  real  character  of  the  happily  situated 
unbeliever.  All  true  righteousness  of  life  springs  out 
of  godliness.    As  George  Macdonald  sings : 

Lo,  Lord,  Thou  know'st,  I  would  not  anything 

That  in  the  heart  of  God  holds  not  its  root; 

Nor  falsely  deem  there  is  any  life  at  all 

That  doth  in  Him,  nor  sleep  nor  shine  nor  sing; 

I  know  the  plants  that  bear  the  noisome  fruit 

Of  burning  and  of  ashes  and  of  gall — 

From  God's  heart  torn,  rootless  to  man's  they  cling. 

That  the  just  live  by  faith  is  evidenced  by  the 
strength  and  beauty  of  the  moral  life  of  the  saint. 
True,  the  character  of  many  professing  Christians  is 
poor,  and  in  some  instances  far  worse  than  poor,  but 
that  is  what  might  reasonably  be  expected  from  a 
vague  or  misconceived  faith.  Scientists  say  that  the 
darkest  places  in  the  universe  are  the  spots  in  the  sun, 
and  no  wonder  that  the  dark  places  of  the  Church  are 
sometimes  very  dark.  The  worst  persons  I  have  known 
were  living  in  Christian  fellowship,  and  that  they  were 
the  worst  is  what  we  should  expect.  A  merely  secular, 
sceptical  sphere  could  not  produce  a  Judas,  close  con- 
tact with  the  infinite  love  and  beauty  of  the  Lord  was 
necessary  to  develop  such  a  moral  monster.  But  if  the 
worst  of  men  are  in  the  Church,  the  best  are  there 
also.  Nothing  seems  more  wonderful  or  delightful  to 
me  than  the  vast  numbers  of  noble  men  and  women 
whom  I  have  known ;  they  stretch  along  the  years  as 
bright  and  beautiful  as  the  Milky  Way.  This  world 
has  seen  nothing  more  pure  and  lovely  than  the  saints 


THE  CONDITION  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS  219 

and  their  Master,  Every  virtue  comes  to  its  last  per- 
fection under  the  sweet  and  vital  influences  of  Chris- 
tian faith,  hope,  and  love.  "The  just  shall  live  by 
faith" ;  let  us  boldly  declare  it.  Nothing  in  character 
is  real,  nothing  perfect,  nothing  abiding,  except  it  is 
rooted  in  eternity,  its  branches  bathed  in  heaven,  its 
life  kindled  and  sustained  by  the  sunshine  of  God. 


XLIV 

MASKED  PERILS  OF  SPIRITUAL 
LIFE  AND  FELLOWSHIP 

Hidden  rocks  in  your  love-feasts. — Jude  12. 

THE  ungodly  men  who  had  crept  unawares  into 
the  Christian  community  are  hkened  by  the 
apostle  to  sunken  rocks  which  amid  smooth 
seas  and  under  fair  skies  prove  fatal  to  the  mariner. 
But  these  hidden  rocks  present  themselves  in  moods, 
theories,  and  sentiments,  as  well  as  in  false  brethren ; 
and  against  these  subtlest  perils  we  must  diligently 
watch.  Many  of  the  rocks  which  threaten  us  stand 
out  conspicuously  enough,  we  are  ever  being  reminded 
of  them,  they  are  surmounted  by  warning  lights,  to 
run  upon  them  means  presumptuous  sin ;  other  perils, 
however,  are  hidden  and  almost  unsuspected.  We  seek 
now  to  indicate  several  of  these  submerged  reefs. 

The  quest  of  spiritual  power  zvhilst  forgetting  the 
uses  of  such  power  is  one  of  these  hidden  rocks.  Miss 
J.  M.  Fry  made  the  following  statement  at  a  recent 
religious  gathering:  "Many  persons  are  actuated  by 
mere  vanity  in  desiring  the  attainment  of  spiritual 
power."  That  is,  we  presume,  such  power  is  sought 
not  for  the  high  ends  of  personal  sanctification  or 
effective  ministry,  but  rather  for  its  self-complacent 

220 


MASKED  PERILS  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE  221 

possession.  We  understand  how  wealth  may  be  de- 
sired for  mere  vanity :  not  with  an  appreciation  of  its 
uses,  but  out  of  the  passion  of  possession  and  the 
desire  of  display.  Intellectual  power  may  be  coveted 
from  the  same  motive.  Men  desire  scholarship  and 
skill  for  the  sake  of  the  pride  and  pleasure  of  them, 
for  ends  of  personal  self-sufficiency  and  distinction. 
And  the  attainment  of  spiritual  power  may  be 
prompted  in  much  the  same  spirit.  Here  pride  refines 
itself  into  invisibility,  and  we  find  it  difficult  to  believe 
in  its  presence.  Spiritual  power  should  be  sought  so 
that  the  ignoble  elements  of  our  nature  may  be  effect- 
ually purged,  that  the  sanctification  of  our  faculties 
may  be  complete,  and  that  all  our  work  for  God  and 
man  may  be  efficient.  To  lose  sight  of  these  practical 
uses  is  to  fall  into  a  subtle  snare  of  refined  selfishness 
and  vanity. 

The  cultivation  of  character  in  the  artistic  spirit  is  a 
snare  of  the  spiritual  life.  One  of  our  writers  justly 
observes :  "There  are  two  kinds  of  artists,  just  as  there 
are  moral  and  spiritual  souls.  There  are  the  trimmers, 
the  superficialists,  the  amateurs,  not  loving  beauty  for 
itself,  but  for  its  advantages,  socially  and  selfishly." 
Wuttke  in  discussing  the  morals  of  the  Greeks  shows 
that  in  their  reckoning  the  beautiful  was  the  good ; 
and  that,  in  their  opinion,  man  is  moral  in  enjoying 
and  creating  the  beautiful.  They  regarded  the  moral 
idea  chiefly  as  an  object  of  artistic  enjoyment,  and 
morality  as  a  matter  of  mere  spectacle.  Does  not  this 
danger  beset  us? — to  cultivate  holiness  in  the  aesthetic 
spirit  and  as  so  much  personal  adornment?  He  who 
has  understood  the  teaching  of  Christ  never  forgets 


222  MASKED  PERILS  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

that  the  good  is  the  beautiful,  and  that  the  two  must 
be  sought  in  this  order.  He  remembers  that  loveUness 
of  character  is  first  a  question  of  essence  and  not  of 
form.  This  sculptor  brings  the  statue  to  perfection  by 
fine  measurements  and  delicate  touches  on  the  surface, 
but  a  noble  human  body  is  such  by  virtue  of  indwelling 
life,  and  health,  and  purity.  The  Greek  sought  moral 
excellence  as  in  the  studio  of  the  sculptor;  whilst  in 
the  school  of  Christ,  which  is  the  school  of  life,  beauty 
of  character  is  forgotten  and  found  in  the  purity  of 
the  soul.  To  cultivate  the  virtues  in  an  artistic  tem- 
per, and  as  so  much  personal  ornament,  is  to  fall  into 
serious  error;  in  the  power  of  a  holy  spirit  we  much 
achieve  exterior  grace.  Harmony,  beauty,  and  seren- 
ity of  life  spring  from  essential  truth,  purity,  and  love. 
Least  of  all  must  moral  gracefulness  be  studied  as  a 
matter  of  mere  spectacle.  How  we  stand  in  the  eye 
of  God  ought  to  be  the  dominant  thought;  and  if  we 
live  in  His  sight  clothed  in  wrought  gold,  we  shall 
hardly  be  unlovely  in  the  sight  of  those  about  us.  To 
cultivate  moral  beauty  in  the  spirit  of  art  and  fashion 
is  to  make  shipwreck  on  the  coral  reef  of  a  silver  sea. 
Sensuous  enjoyment  may  insinuate  itself  into 
spiritual  culture  so  as  to  become  a  peril.  It  might  be 
thought  that  there  is  little  to  fear  from  sensuality  in 
a  fervent  spiritual  life;  it  would  seem  so  essentially 
coarse  and  vulgar  as  not  to  be  susceptible  of  con- 
cealment or  decoration.  But  it  is  not  so.  With  the 
Greeks  the  worship  of  Aphrodite  lent  to  sensuality 
itself  a  religious  sanction ;  and  the  epistle  before  us 
makes  manifest  how  soon  the  disciples  of  a  far  higher 
religion  of  love  and  beauty  were  in  danger  from  the 


MASKED  PERILS  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE  223 

sensual  side.  Very  plainly  does  Jude  speak  of  gross 
passions,  temptations,  and  sins.  "Strange  flesh" ;  "in 
their  dreamings  defile  the  flesh" ;  "fornication" ;  and 
suggestions  of  unnatural  sin,  come  in  this  epistle  into 
strange  association  with  godliness,  spiritual  enthusi- 
asm, and  that  fellowship  of  love  in  which  the  primitive 
Church  reached  sublimity.  A  recent  writer  in  discuss- 
ing Sainte-Beuve  and  Chateaubriand,  both  of  whom 
combined  an  ostentatious  profession  of  religion  with 
sexual  licence,  observes:  "We  know,  however,  that 
erotic  mania  and  religious  mania  are  in  some  strange 
fashion  allied  alike  in  Protestant  and  Catholic  com- 
munities." The  outcome  of  the  high-pitched  ideal  of 
monasticism  was  often  licentiousness ;  and  the  conse- 
crated communities  established  by  saints  like  Terstee- 
gen  were  discredited  by  unseemly  developments.  It 
is  true  that  "we  cannot  have  mountains  without  preci- 
pices," and  it  is  humbling  and  alarming  to  note  that 
the  love  and  purity  of  an  exalted  spiritual  life  may  so 
easily  pass  into  unhealthiness  and  sin.  The  "love- 
feast"  became  an  orgie,  and  the  heavenly  love  of  the 
individual  saint  may  imperceptibly  degenerate  into 
dangerous  sentimentalism  and  profane  passion. 

To  cultivate  fervent  devoutness  apart  from  practical 
life  is  another  peril  of  the  spiritual.  Intense  emotion, 
ecstatic  song,  fervent  witness-bearing,  impassioned 
contemplation,  fellowship,  and  devotion  soon  become 
dangerous  when  severed  from  the  facts  and  duties  of 
daily  life.  Contact  with  the  realities  of  the  worldly 
life  is  necessary  to  the  health  and  sanity  of  the  soul, 
to  the  strength  and  soundness  of  our  piety.  We  must 
keep  in  touch  with  human  relations  and  responsibilities, 


224  MASKED  PERILS  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

we  must  at  every  step  test  our  faith  and  feeling  by  their 
value  in  everyday  life,  even  when  caught  up  into  para- 
dise we  must  not  lose  sight  of  commonplace  duty  and 
things.  The  kindling  afflatus,  the  lyrical  utterance,  the 
solemn  awe  that  dare  not  move,  the  lips  touched  with 
fire,  are  precious  and  delightful  in  their  place  and  sea- 
son; but  the  mystical  and  ecstatic,  the  vision  and  the 
rapture,  must  immediately  and  consistently  blend  with 
practical  life  if  they  are  to  leave  us  strong  and  safe. 

Talking  too  much  about  our  spiritual  life  may  prove 
to  its  detriment.  Testimony-bearing  in  the  love-feast 
is  a  duty  and  joy,  but  it  is  easy  to  injure  our  deepest 
life  by  discussing  it  too  freely  and  too  frequently.  A 
French  critic  writes:  "Beware  of  an  artist  who  talks 
too  well  of  his  art.  He  wastes  his  art  in  talk."  And 
it  is  as  certainly  true  in  regard  to  religion.  Men  think 
that  they  are  in  saintship  because  they  discuss  it  so 
admirably,  and  they  waste  in  talk  the  reality  and 
energy  of  grace;  were  they  to  think  more  and  talk 
less  they  would  be  safer.  Reticence  and  reality  are 
close  kin.  There  is  much  that  is  sacred  and  secret 
about  the  experiences  of  the  soul,  and  it  is  dangerous 
to  violate  its  delicacy.  So  we  need  vigilance  on  every 
side. 

Keep  me  waiting  watchful  for  Thy  will — 
Even  while  I  do  it,  waiting  watchful  still. 


XLV 

THE  TRANSFORMATIONS  OF 
GRACE 

'And  they  shall  beat  their  swords  into  plowshares,  and  their 
spears  into  pruning-hooks. — Isa.  ii.  4. 

THE  first  great  transformation  effected  by  the 
grace  of  God  is  the  transformation  of  the 
sinner  into  a  saint.  It  is  not  the  design  of  the 
gospel  to  destroy  any  of  the  faculties  or  affections, 
any  of  the  energies  of  human  nature,  but  to  reform, 
renew  and  strengthen,  to  exalt  them  and  give  them  a 
new  direction.  It  aims  to  divert  the  powers  of  the 
soul  from  false  and  destructive  ends,  and  to  fix  them 
on  objects  and  exercises  altogether  worthy  and  beau- 
tiful. In  conversion  new  faculties  are  not  created 
within  us;  but,  transformed  in  the  spirit  of  our  mind, 
the  misdirected  and  dishallowed  faculties  are  restored 
to  high  and  holy  uses.  As  Archer  Butler  puts  it, 
"Trust,  but  trust  in  the  living  God.  Preserve  un- 
broken every  element  of  your  affections ;  they  are  all 
alike  the  property  of  heaven.  Be  ambitious,  but  ambi- 
tious of  the  eternal  heritage.  Let  avarice  be  yours, 
but  avarice  of  celestial  treasures.  Covet  esteem,  but 
esteem  in  the  mind  of  God  and  the  circles  of  the 
blessed.     Labour  after  knowledge,  but  let  it  be  'the 

225 


226    THE  TRANSFORMATIONS  OF  GRACE 

light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face 
of  Jesus  Christ.'  Yearn  after  sympathy,  but  seek  it 
where  alone  it  is  unfailing." 

All  these  affections  are  native  to  us,  they  are  prim- 
itive and  essential,  only  they  have  been  corrupted  and 
misapplied;  now  it  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
cleanse  and  raise  them,  to  find  the  true  objects  and 
materials  of  these  divine  impulses  and  desires.  Noises 
are  composed  of  pleasant  sounds,  only  the  sounds  are 
irregularly  mingled;  indeed,  the  components  of  the 
most  disagreeable  noises  are  pure  and  true  and  pleas- 
ant as  music,  only  the  various  notes  are  mingled  in  a 
painful  confusion.  So  the  faculties  and  energies  of 
unregenerate  nature  are  intrinsically  sound  and  noble, 
although  through  becoming  lawless  they  create  cruel 
discords;  and  it  is  the  special  office  and  work  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  to  elicit  order  out  of  this  anarchy,  to 
mould  into  blessed  harmony  the  hostile  elements  of 
nature.  The  natural  man  is  a  magazine  of  organs, 
gifts,  sympathies,  and  desires,  consecrate  to  violence, 
egotism,  and  sensuality :  his  powers  are  weapons  which 
wound,  mar,  and  destroy  himself  and  his  neighbours ; 
but  by  the  divine  grace  the  perverted  members  and 
affections  are  transformed  and  pressed  into  the  benign 
service  of  purity,  unselfishness,  peace,  and  fruitfulness. 
Grace  does  not  destroy  or  mutilate  individuality,  it 
honours  and  hallows  the  whole  host  of  our  energies. 
And  the  stronger,  the  more  intense,  and  the  more 
mischievous  the  personality,  the  more  rich  and  gra- 
.cious  does  it  become  duly  converted  and  controlled  by 
the  spirit  of  holiness.  For,  as  shown  experimentally 
in  another  sphere  by  Professor  Balfour  Stewart,  the 


THE  TRANSFORMATIONS  OF  GRACE    227 

blacker  the  body  the  brighter  will  be  its  light  when 
incandescent.  Saul  changed  into  Paul  is  a  fine  instance 
of  such  moral  transformation. 

One  of  the  Greek  philosophers  wrote :  "And  this 
is  the  greatest  stroke  of  art,  to  turn  an  evil  into  a 
good."  Such  is  the  grand  mission  of  the  faith  of  Jesus 
Christ,  It  is  the  work  of  the  devil  to  debase  good 
things  to  vile  uses ;  it  is  the  task  of  the  Spirit  of  grace 
to  make  of  evil  things  vessels  unto  honour,  fit  for  the 
Master's  use.  The  other  day  we  heard  of  a  shell  found 
on  the  battlefields  of  South  Africa  being  converted  into 
the  bell  of  a  church,  as  the  brazen  serpent  was  lifted 
up  to  save  those  who  were  dying  of  the  bite  of  ven- 
omous serpents ;  and  in  many  ways  things,  institutions, 
and  methods  which  for  ages  have  tormented  and  de- 
stroyed society  are  being  transformed  into  instruments 
of  blessing.  Gold  often  works  harmfully;  history 
shows  it  a  root  of  all  evil.  But  it  shall  not  be  so 
for  ever.  The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  shall 
purify  gold  as  no  refiner  on  earth  ever  purified  it.  "To 
Him  shall  be  given  of  the  gold  of  Sheba,"  and  He 
shall  cleanse  it  from  the  canker  of  ages,  and  make 
it  an  instrument  of  manifold  and  untold  blessing.  Gold 
is  said  by  the  alchemists  to  have  its  origin  in  the  sun ; 
they  call  it  "the  under  sun,"  endowed  by  God  with  an 
incredible  potency  to  free  men  from  diseases  and 
impurities.  They  dreamt  better  than  they  knew.  The 
spirit  of  Christ  shall  change  a  root  of  all  evil  into  a 
root  of  paradise  bearing  only  fruits  sweet  and  good. 
Art  has  been  such  a  minister  of  vanity,  such  a  source 
of  corruption,  that  Carlyle  wished  "the  devil  would  fly 
away  with  it";  but  a  spirit  of  truth  and  purity   is 


228    THE  TRANSFORMATIONS  OF  GRACE 

penetrating  the  universal  mind,  the  beauty  of  hoHness 
and  the  hoHness  of  beauty  are  being  increasingly  recog- 
nized, and  as  this  process  continues  the  fine  arts  will 
become  chosen  ministers  of  God,  whose  action  is  only 
good.  Pleasure  has  long  beguiled  and  depraved ;  yet 
,it,  too,  shall  be  transformed,  as  poison  berries  have 
been  changed  into  delectable  fruits,  and  rank  weeds 
into  perfumed  flowers.  Babylonish  garments  shall 
adorn  the  festivals  of  Zion ;  cups  long  profaned  by 
excess  shall  shine  in  the  sacraments  of  saints,  as  the 
sacred  vessels  were  returned  from  the  Captivity  to  the 
uses  of  the  altar ;  and  the  roses  of  Bacchus  and  Venus, 
purified  from  every  taint  of  voluptuousness,  shall  smell 
sweet  again  as  in  the  golden  age  when  God  walked  in 
the  garden. 

It  is  not  the  design  of  the  gospel  to  make  the  world 
narrower,  to  impoverish  life,  to  destroy  any  part  of 
the  almost  infinite  riches  which  were  given  us  to  enjoy ; 
its  task  is  the  far  more  divine  and  difficult  one  of 
restoring  all  things  to  nobler  uses.  The  distorted  shall 
return  to  the  divine  form,  the  poisonous  become  food, 
the  mischievous  be  returned  into  a  blessing;  all  per- 
verted things  shall  be  redeemed  from  lust,  blood,  and 
■selfishness,  and  restored  in  their  time  and  place  to 
honest  and  honourable  use,  to  their  high  and  holy 
purpose.  "Instead  of  the  thorn  shall  come  up  the  fir- 
tree,  and  instead  of  the  briar  shall  come  up  the  myrtle- 
tree." 


XLVI 
THE  GRACIOUSNESS  OF  THE  LAW 

For  this  is  the  love  of  God,  that  we  keep  His  command- 
ments; and  His  commandments  are  not  grievous. — ^John  v.  3. 

EVERY  commandment  is  a  salvation.  How  is 
it  that  the  commandments  appear  grievous? 
Because  they  cross  our  unnatural  and  inor- 
dinate desires.  But  what  would  be  the  result  were 
those  desires  gratified?  Pandemonium.  The  com- 
mandments save  us;  they  save  us  from  ourselves  and 
the  infinite  peril  of  the  unregenerate  situation.  The 
commandment  enjoining  love  is  to  rescue  us  from  the 
damnation  of  selfishness,  the  law  of  meekness  to 
defend  us  from  the  devil  of  pride,  the  demand  for 
purity  to  withhold  us  from  the  hell  of  lust.  To  resent 
the  laws  of  Sinai  is  more  foolish  than  to  complain 
of  the  steel  bars  of  the  menagerie  which  come  between 
us  and  the  wild  beasts.  The  grievousness  is  in  our- 
selves, and  the  commandment  is  a  glorious  salvation 
from  the  evil  within  us  which  we  have  most  to  fear. 
Yet  this  is  only  a  partial  expression  of  the  sense  of 
the  text.  Not  only  are  the  commandments  not  griev- 
ous, they  are  gracious.  Law  and  grace  represent  two 
orders  of  ideas,  yet  really,  at  bottom,  divine  law  is  the 
definition  of  love.     Perhaps  we  might  say  that  law 

229 


230    THE  GRACIOUSNESS  OF  THE  LAW 

is  the  expression  of  love  to  a  perfect  universe,  and 
grace  is  the  added  expression  of  love  to  a  world  of 
sinners,  but  love  alike  inspires  law  and  gospel. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  grace — preventing  grace  and 
reclaiming  grace.  We  usually  extol  redeeming  grace, 
and  we  have  every  reason  to  do  so.  The  grace  that 
absolves  our  sins,  covers  our  guilt,  brings  into  our 
bosom  abiding  peace,  is  precious  indeed.  Yet  prevent- 
ing grace  is  not  less  precious.  One  of  the  grandest 
revelations  of  this  preventing  grace  is  seen  in  the  clear 
and  authoritative  publication  of  the  law.  The  will 
of  God  is  expressed  in  nature,  reason,  and  conscience ; 
but  it  has  become  obscure,  and  having  no  other  expres- 
sion of  it  we  might  greatly  err.  In  the  commandments 
the  obscured  law  shines  out  in  letters  of  fire,  and  they 
who  run  may  read.  Moses  reminded  Israel  of  their 
great  privilege  in  this  respect.  "For  these  nations 
which  thou  shalt  possess,  hearken  unto  them  that  prac- 
tise augury,  and  unto  diviners ;  but  as  for  thee,  the 
Lord  thy  God  hath  not  suffered  thee  so  to  do"  (Deut. 
xviii.  14).  Whilst  these  less-favoured  people  in  their 
perplexity  resorted  to  equivocal  sources  of  enlighten- 
ment and  fell  into  ruinous  error,  God  in  the  law  of 
the  two  tables  showed  Israel  the  path  of  truth  and 
righteousness.  So  He  now  saves  us.  The  command- 
ment is  not  grievous,  any  more  than  the  lighthouse — 
it  is  a  warning,  guiding,  saving  beacon.  "So  that  the 
law  is  holy  and  the  commandment  holy,  and  righteous, 
and  good." 

Every  commandment  is  an  inspiration.  The  com- 
mandment would  be  grievous  if  it  demanded  what  was 
beyond  our  power;  it  would  be  harsh  if  it  demanded 


THE  GRACIOUSNESS  OF  THE  LAW  231 

what  was  only  just  within  our  power  through  severe 
strain  and  suffering.  A  tax  is  grievous  as  it  exceeds 
the  financial  resources  of  a  people ;  a  lesson  is  grievous 
that  is  beyond  the  capacity  or  training  of  the  scholar ;  a 
burden  is  grievous  when  too  heavy  to  be  borne.  True, 
the  implications  of  God's  moral  law  are  beyond  our 
native  strength :  yet  the  commandments  are  not  griev- 
ous; because,  in  these  evangelical  times,  divine 
strength  is  given  with  the  effort  to  obey.  "For  what 
the  law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak  through  the 
flesh,"  is  now  done  through  the  strengthening  grace 
of  God  vouchsafed  in  Christ  Jesus.  "The  entrance  of 
Thy  word  giveth  light,"  is  a  great  truth  as  it  stands 
in  the  Old  Testament ;  it  is,  however,  an  enlarged  truth 
in  these  later  days.  Science  assures  us  of  the  efficacy 
of  light;  it  is  not  light  only,  but  force — quickening, 
cleansing,  compelling  force.  And  the  truth  in  Jesus 
is  not  merely  dry  light  for  the  intellect,  but  vital  force 
availing  for  interior  purity  and  practical  obedience. 
"Already  ye  are  clean  because  of  the  word  which  I 
have  spoken  unto  you." 

Read  John  xv.  for  the  full  understanding  of  the 
inward  life  and  power  which  make  obedience  light. 
The  fourth  and  fifth  verses  of  the  chapter  whence 
our  text  is  taken  explain  the  text  itself.  When  we 
are  born  of  God  and  filled  with  faith  and  love,  the 
keeping  of  the  commandment  is  easy  and  delightful. 
The  inner  energy  is  equal  to  the  whole  incidence  of 
duty.  According  to  science  the  atmosphere  rests  upon 
us  heavily,  pressing  to  the  weight  of  fifteen  pounds 
to  the  square  inch ;  and  thus  a  grown  man  sustains  a 
burden  of  about  fifteen  tons.     But  we  know  little  if 


^32     THE  GRACIOUSNESS  OF  THE  LAW 

anything  of  this  burden.  The  gases  and  fluids  inside 
our  body  press  outwards,  balancing  the  external  press- 
ure, and  leaving  us  to  walk  at  liberty.  So  far  from 
the  atmosphere  being  a  burden,  we  know  nothing 
lighter  than  air.  It  is  somewhat  thus  with  us  in  rela- 
tion to  the  moral  law.  The  lofty,  sublime,  exceedingly 
broad  statutes  of  God  do  not  crush  us,  do  not  weigh 
upon  us,  because  our  internal  vigour  is  equal  to  them, 
our  mind,  affections,  and  will  are  so  filled  with  hea- 
venly power ;  in  the  strength  and  joy  of  the  soul  the 
law  becomes  as  light  as  air,  and  as  vital.  H  we  feel 
the  commandments  pressing  upon  us  heavily,  it  is  a 
sign  that  the  interior  life  needs  uplifting  and  strength- 
ening. "Take  heed  to  yourselves :  if  thy  brother  sin, 
rebuke  him ;  and  if  he  repent,  forgive  him.  And  if 
he  sin  against  thee  seven  times  in  the  day,  and  seven 
times  turn  again  to  thee,  saying,  I  repent ;  thou  shalt 
forgive  him.  And  the  apostles  said  unto  the  Lord, 
Increase  our  faith."  When  the  Master  showed  the 
immense  sublimity  of  the  law  of  forgiveness,  the  dis- 
ciples did  not  ask  that  it  should  be  modified  to  their 
weakness,  but  that  through  increased  faith  and  force 
they  might  be  equal  to  it  in  all  its  length  and  breadth. 
Every  commandment  is  a  benediction.  Not  a  sal- 
vation only,  but  a  beatitude.  "Moreover  by  them  is 
Thy  servant  warned :  in  keeping  of  them  there  is  great 
reward."  Our  whole  perfecting  is  bound  up  with  our 
obedience ;  only  as  we  submit  ourselves  to  divine  con- 
trol do  we  realize  ourselves  and  all  the  great  possi- 
bilities of  our  calling.  No  astronomer  has  yet  been 
able  to  observe  any  evidence  of  a  comet  possessing  a 
fixed  axis  of  revolution,  and  most  probably  because 


THE  GRACIOUSNESS  OF  THE  LAW  233 

they  have  not  yet  acquired  this  law  comets  are  so  un- 
organized and  so  eccentric  in  their  orbits ;  free  from 
a  fixed  axis  of  revokition  they  wander  at  large  with 
erratic  movement,  yet  they  remain  chaotic,  and  do  not 
develop  into  beautiful  and  fruitful  planets.  Yes ;  it  is 
only  as  the  love  of  God  becomes  the  fixed  axis  of  our 
being,  and  a  close  obedience  to  law  the  rule  of  our 
life,  that  we  are  fashioned  into  the  full  glory  of  our 
nature  and  enter  upon  its  vast  destiny  of  blessedness. 


XLVII 
VICARIOUS  FAITH 

And  they  come,  bringing  unto  Him  a  man  sick  of  the  palsy, 
borne  of  four.  .  .  .  And  Jesus  seeing  their  faith  saitli  unto 
the  sick  of  the  palsy,  Son,  thy  sins  arc  forgiven. — Mark  ii.  3-5. 

THE  narrative  teaches  the  necessity  of  action 
with  a  view  to  salvation,  the  ingenuity  of 
love,  and  the  efficacy  of  faith ;  but  we  will 
confine  ourselves  to  the  last  point,  and  emphasize  the 
singular  character  of  the  faith  in  question.  "And 
Jesus  seeing  their  faith."  Amid  the  pitiless  selfishness 
and  chilling  unbelief  of  the  age,  the  scene  here 
depicted  must  have  been  to  the  Master  a  sight  as 
pleasant  as  it  was  unexpected,  and  very  promptly 
and  cordially  He  spoke  the  words  of  forgiveness.  He 
distinctly  recognized  the  faith  of  the  bearers  as  well 
as  that  of  the  sufferer  who  was  borne.  Humanly 
speaking  the  palsied  man  owed  his  recovery  and  salva- 
tion to  the  faith  and  self-sacrifice  of  his  four  friends. 
The  great  lesson  comes  out  here  that  to  an  unknown 
extent  it  is  possible  to  inspire  and  to  bring  about  the 
salvation  of  others  by  our  faith  and  co-operation.  Our 
faith  cannot  supersede  theirs,  it  is  never  a  substitute 
for  the  faith  of  those  more  immediately  concerned ; 
but  it  prompts  and  strengthens  their  faith,  and  by  a 

234 


VICARIOUS     FAITH  235 

consentaneousness  of  trust  and  effort  a  wonderful  re- 
covery is  effected.  And  really  in  all  this  there  is  noth- 
ing exceptional  or  miraculous.  In  many  ways  we  all 
owe  much  to  the  confidence  of  others  working  on  our 
behalf,  and  many  of  us  are  deeply  conscious  of  the 
debt.  For  much  that  we  are,  viewed  from  an  intel- 
lectual and  worldly  point  of  view,  and  for  much  that 
we  have  achieved  in  social  and  material  life,  we  are 
indebted  to  the  faith  and  encouragement  of  those  about 
us.  They  believed  in  us  and  for  us,  when  we  believed 
very  faintly  in  and  for  ourselves ;  they  derided  our  self- 
mistrust  ;  they  withstood  our  enemies ;  they  assisted  us 
with  moral  and  material  help ;  at  even  serious  sacrifices 
they  attacked  the  obstacles  which  stood  in  the  way, 
and  smoothed  our  path  to  success.  One  man  is 
famous,  another  great,  another  rich,  because  at  a  crit- 
ical juncture  sympathetic  associates  stood  by  them, 
aided  them,  awoke  their  ambition  and  enthusiasm,  and 
really  carried  them  to  victory.  Thousands  of  distin- 
guished men  are  such  because  they  resolved  to  justify 
the  confidence  reposed  in  them,  and  to  fulfil  the 
prophecies  hazarded  on  their  behalf.  It  is  simply  won- 
derful how  largely  many  of  us  are  indebted  for  success 
to  the  confidence  and  expectations  of  parents,  brethren, 
and  compeers,  backed  up  by  their  practical  sympathy. 
Friendship  is  a  wonderful  factor  in  a  struggling  life, 
and  friendship  is  based  in  mutual  faith.  Many  a  hesi- 
tating yet  capable  soul  has  perished  in  obscurity  be- 
cause of  indiscreet  and  unsympathetic  criticism  at  a 
crucial  moment;  whilst  others,  more  fortunate,  have 
grasped  the  golden  prize  and  worn  the  victor's  wreath 
because  loving  and  heroic  helpers  pushed  a  way  for 


236  VICARIOUS    FAITH 

them  through  the  crowd,  broke  up  the  roof,  and  let 
them  down  into  the  presence  of  fortune  and  glory. 

What  we  can  do  for  our  friends  circumstantially  is 
even  exceeded  by  what  we  can  do  for  them  touching 
character.  A  German  writer  justly  observes :  "Esteem 
your  brother  to  be  good,  and  he  is  so.  Confide  in  the 
half-virtuous  man,  and  he  becomes  wholly  virtuous. 
Encourage  your  pupil  by  the  assumption  that  he  pos- 
sesses certain  faculties,  and  they  will  be  developed  in 
him."  In  moral  attainment  and  efficiency  vicarious 
faith,  working  by  love,  avails  much.  We  must 
remember  this  in  dealing  with  children.  Let  your 
child  know  that  you  believe  in  him,  that  you  are 
satisfied  as  to  his  capacity  and  ability  for  good- 
ness, without  prophesying  smooth  things  anticipate 
good  things,  and  you  have  gone  a  long  way 
toward  making  him  all  you  could  wish  him  to  be. 
Your  faith  makes  it  easy  for  the  child  to  believe.  In 
the  treatment  of  young  persons  generally  this  canon 
of  education  must  be  followed.  Esteem  them  to  be 
good,  confide  in  them,  assume  that  they  are  genuine 
and  sincere,  and  your  faith  on  their  behalf  stimulates 
and  saves  them.  In  dealing  with  the  lapsed  never  for- 
get this  secret.  The  morally  impotent  and  palsied,  the 
blind  and  crippled,  the  leprous  and  dying,  are  saved  by 
hope,  and  our  hope  may  kindle  that  of  the  most  for- 
lorn and  despairing.  Seeing  our  faith  the  shipwrecked 
brother,  perchance,  takes  heart  again,  and  struggles 
into  that  higher  life  our  charity  painted  for  him.  In 
our  intercourse  with  one  another  let  us  always  proceed 
on  these  grounds  of  mutual  faith,  love,  and  hope.  And 
there  is  nothing  quixotic  in  this  belief  in  and  for  one 


VICARIOUS     FAITH  237 

another,  in  and  for  the  worst.  All  men  have  a  great 
capacity  for  salvation;  and  faith,  sympathy,  and  sac- 
rifice work  wonders. 

The  very  best  way  in  which  we  can  serve  our  fel- 
lows is  to  get  them  to  Christ;  believing  in  Him  and 
in  His  power  to  save  those  who  come  to  Him,  let  us 
despair  of  no  one.  Let  us  imitate  the  courage  of  these 
bearers  of  the  sick  of  the  palsy.  They  dared  much,  and 
their  boldness  and  aggressiveness  carried  the  day.  Let 
us  imitate  the  sympathy  of  this  ambulance  corps.  With- 
out a  real  love  to  men  we  shall  never  undertake  any- 
thing desperate  on  their  behalf.  Let  us  emulate  the 
sacrificial  spirit  of  these  helpers  of  the  helpless.  After 
Christ  has  borne  the  cross  for  us  we  ought  not  to 
shrink  from  any  burden  that  implies  the  salvation  of 
the  lost.  Finally,  let  us  be  instructed  by  the  combina- 
tion of  these  heroic  friends  in  the  interest  of  the 
palsied.  "Borne  of  four."  Co-operation  goes  far  in 
the  salvation  of  men.  Parent,  teacher,  preacher,  and 
friend  must  unite  if  salvation  is  to  come  to  the  house. 
Iron  chests  holding  great  treasure  are  sometimes  se- 
cured by  three  or  four  locks,  and  it  is  only  by  the  con- 
currence of  those  who  hold  the  several  keys  that  the 
chest  can  be  opened.  Thus  again  and  again  the  treas- 
ures of  grace  are  reached  only  as  two  or  three  agree 
in  prayer  and  effort.  Wlien  Epworth  parsonage  was 
burnt,  the  child  John  Wesley  was  saved  through  an 
upper  window  by  neighbours  who  stood  on  each  other's 
shoulders.  Thus  the  soul  itself  is  often  a  brand  plucked 
from  the  burning  by  the  combined  sympathies,  suppli- 
cations, and  sacrifices  of  those  who  have  caught  the 
spirit  of  the  Master. 


XLVIII 

THE  GRANDEUR  AND  GRACIOUS- 
NESS  OF  GOD 

For  thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One  that  inhabifeth  etern- 
ity, whose  name  is  Holy:  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place, 
with  him  also  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit,  to  revive 
the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the  contrite 
ones.  For  I  will  not  contend  for  ever,  neither  will  I  be  always 
wroth:  for  the  spirit  should  fail  before  Me,  and  the  souls 
which  I  have  made. — Isa.  Ivii.  15,  16. 

I.     ^T — ^  HE  GRANDEUR  of  God. 

I  He  is  the  supreme  One.    The  "high  and 

M  lofty  One."  He  stands  above  nature,  law, 
necessity,  fate,  power,  destiny,  and  all  other  such  names 
as  men  have  been  pleased  to  give  to  the  world,  its 
laws,  and  its  forces.  He  stands  above  humanity,  dom- 
inating us,  whatever  may  be  our  power,  pride,  or 
wrath.  He  stands  above  the  unknown  world,  and  its 
principalities.    "God  over  all." 

He  is  the  unchangeable  One.  "Inhabiteth  eternity." 
The  eternally  dwelling  One.  The  hoary  sea  is  a  morn- 
ing dewdrop ;  the  stars  are  glittering  fireworks ;  and 
the  earth  itself  a  vapour. 

They  melt  like  mists  the  solid  lands ; 
Like  clouds  they  shape  themselves  and  go. 

288 


THE    GRANDEUR    OF    GOD    239 

But  with  our  God  is  no  shadow  of  turning.  He 
transcends  time  and  space. 

He  is  the  holy  One.  "Whose  name  is  holy."  The 
very  essence  of  God's  grandeur.  The  levity,  lust,  and 
cruelty  of  pagan  paradises  are  unknown  in  the  heaven 
of  revelation.  Its  Deity  is  the  just  One,  the  true,  the 
righteous,  the  good,  the  merciful. 

How  impossible  to  speak  worthily  of  God !  of  Him 
who  fills  the  universe  with  His  glory !  A  little  while 
ago  a  great  painter  went  out  to  paint  the  sunset.  He 
prepared  his  palette,  but  the  sight  was  so  beautiful 
that  he  waited  to  examine  it  better.  All  about  the 
skies  and  hills  were  rich  shadows,  resplendent  colours, 
purple  flames,  golden  lustres.  The  painter  waited, 
waited,  absorbed  by  the  vision  of  glory.  Said  his 
friend,  impatiently,  "Are  you  not  going  to  begin?" 
"By-and-by,"  replied  the  artist.  And  so  he  waited,  par- 
alyzed by  the  splendour,  until  the  sun  was  set  and  dark 
shadows  fell  upon  the  mountains.  Then  he  shut  up 
his  paint-box  and  returned  home.  But  if  we  faint  thus 
in  the  presence  of  God's  lower  works,  how  impossible 
is  it  to  speak  adequately  of  Him  whom  no  man  hath 
seen  nor  can  see !  Yet  it  is  well  sometimes  to  recall 
the  grandeur  of  God.  Let  us  shun  familiarities  and 
sentimentalisms,  and  live  in  wonder  and  reverence. 

2.  The  GRAciousNESs  of  God. 

"With  him  also  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble 
spirit."  "God  has  two  thrones,"  says  an  old  writer; 
"one  in  the  highest  heaven,  the  other  in  the  lowliest 
heart."  He  is  not  power  only,  not  intellect  only,  but 
love,  tenderness,  sympathy.  He  comprehends  all  the 
pathos   of  human  life.     He  is   full   of  pity.     He  is 


240    THE    GRANDEUR    OF    GOD 

patient.  He  is  ready  to  forgive.  He  waits  to  be 
gracious.  He  is  Creator,  Ruler,  Judge,  but  Father 
always,  full  of  mysterious  sovereign  love. 

This  thought  is  precious  in  the  days  of  penttence. 
God  is  great  and  terrible  in  majesty,  and  in  the  days 
of  repentance  we  think  of  Him  and  are  troubled.  We 
are  afraid  of  His  knowledge,  holiness,  and  power.  Our 
own  heart  condemns  us,  and  He  is  greater  than  our 
heart  and  knoweth  all  things.  Full  of  sin,  shame, 
and  misery  we  shrink  from  the  glory  of  His  Presence. 
In  such  times  remember  the  latter  part  of  the  text :  "I 
dwell  with  him  also  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble 
spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive 
the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones."  He  will  moderate  His 
anger;  He  will  be  gracious  unto  us.  As  the  sun  lifts 
up  the  grass  and  flowers  beaten  by  the  storm,  gently, 
caressingly,  availingly,  so  the  good  Spirit  comforts  and 
raises  the  soul  bruised  and  bowed  dovvn  in  penitence. 
Fear  God,  but  do  not  be  afraid  of  Him;  take  hold  of 
His  strength  that  you  may  make  peace  with  Him,  and 
you  shall  make  peace. 

The  knowledge  of  the  divine  graciousness  is  pre- 
cious, as  it  finds  expression  in  all  the  education  of  the 
soul.  "For  I  will  not  contend  for  ever,  neither  will 
I  be  always  wroth  :  for  the  spirit  should  fail  before  Me, 
and  the  souls  which  I  have  made."  It  is  the  same  idea 
as  that  of  the  psalmist:  "He  will  not  always  chide." 
In  human  training  there  is  far  too  much  chiding.  The 
parent  too  often  indulges  in  irritating,  disheartening 
criticism.  The  schoolmaster  succeeds,  insisting  chiefly 
on  the  pupil's  forgetfulness  and  blundering.  The  ap- 
prenticeship of  the  youth  leaves  nothing  unsaid  about 


THE    GRANDEUR    OF    GOD     241 

his  weakness  and  incompetence.  Throughout  our  edu- 
cation are  endless  fault-seeking,  fault-finding,  fault- 
magnifying,  fault-remembering.  The  effect  is  un- 
questionably hurtful.  Hearing  only  of  our  bad  points, 
and  always  hearing  of  them,  of  our  ignorance,  idleness, 
stupidity,  and  failure,  we  are  terribly  discouraged,  and 
the  marvel  is  that  we  turn  out  half  as  well  as  we 
do.  This  is  not  the  method  of  the  divine  education. 
If  it  were,  the  spirit  would  fail  before  Him.  He  ever 
gives  us  assurances  of  His  sympathy  and  stimulates 
us  to  eflfort.  His  Spirit  speaks  in  the  sinking  heart 
words  of  cheer,  affection,  approbation,  and  hope,  of 
sweet  refreshment,  of  strong  consolation.  When  a 
picture  by  a  great  master  is  to  be  restored,  it  is  not 
entrusted  to  an  amateur;  it  is  not  a  fitting  subject  for 
turpentine,  sandpaper,  and  pumice-stone.  A  great 
restorer  must  be  found,  and  such  a  restorer  is  as  rare 
as  an  original  artist.  But  think  of  restoring  a  soul, 
of  bringing  out  the  possible  grace  and  glory  of  the 
human  spirit!  Only  He  who  created  the  soul  can  re- 
store it,  and  He  can  restore  it  only  in  infinite  tender- 
ness. If  He  were  harsh  the  spirit  would  fail  before 
Him,  but  gently  He  removes  each  spot  and  stain  until 
the  image  of  His  own  immortal  beauty  shines  forth 
again.    "Thy  gentleness  hath  made  me  great." 

The  divine  graciousness  softens  all  the  discipline  of 
life.  Some  write  and  speak  as  though  there  was  noth- 
ing else  in  the  world  but  law,  logic,  and  force,  and 
as  though  all  must  go  to  the  wall  that  cannot  bear 
the  ruthless  ordeal.  Hence  the  dictum  of  Diderot: 
"The  world  is  the  abode  of  the  strong."  But  there  is 
something  else  in  the  world  beside  law  and  force ;  pity, 


242     THE    GRANDEUR    OF    GOD 

sympathy,  and  love  assert  themselves — there  is  the 
heart.  An  illogical  something,  known  as  compassion 
and  tenderness,  works  in  human  life ;  or,  if  not  illog- 
ical, having  a  transcendent  logic  of  its  own.  There  is 
a  sublime  tempering  element,  perpetually  saving  a  race 
trembling  on  the  brink  of  destruction,  "The  world  is 
for  the  strong";  yes,  and  for  the  humble,  the  meek, 
the  pure,  for  those  who  are  crucified  through  weak- 
ness, all  of  whom  God  cunningly  hides  in  His  secret 
place.  Do  not  be  afraid;  terrible  as  life  may  often 
seem,  there  is  a  genius  of  grace  in  it,  converting  its 
severity  into  a  mode  of  salvation  and  perfecting. 


XLIX 
SPASMODIC  PIETY 

O  Ephraim,  what  shall  I  do  unto  thee?  O  Jtidah,  what 
shall  I  do  unto  thee?  for  your  goodness  is  as  a  morning  cloud, 
and  as  the  dew  that  goeth  early  away. — Hos.  vi.  4. 

ALL  kinds  of  workers  are  conscious  of  moments 
in  which  they  awake  to  uncommon  power  and 
L  excellence.  These  inspired  moments  are  rare, 
wonderful,  delightful  episodes  of  the  intellectual  life. 
Similar  seasons  occur  in  our  mortal  and  spiritual 
experience.  We  see  the  ideal,  are  visited  by  high 
and  holy  thought  and  feeling,  are  ashamed  of  our 
inferiority,  vividly  see  what  we  ought  to  be,  receive  a 
sudden  influx  of  power,  and  resolve  to  lead  a  worthier 
life.  The  greatest  villains  are  not  strange  to  these 
hours.  The  ordinary  sinner  also  knows  these  special 
times  of  illumination  and  conviction.  The  covetous 
are  ashamed  of  their  selfishness,  and  startle  everybody, 
by  unwonted  acts  of  generosity ;  the  angry  see  the 
miserable  character  of  their  impatience,  and  become 
unnaturally  amiable;  whilst  the  intemperate  take  the 
pledge,  and  even  become  intemperate  on  water.  Above 
and  beyond  all  this,  the  worldly  and  unsaved  are 
aroused,  and,  realizing  the  guilt  and  misery  of  their 
godless  days,  resolve  upon  a  new  life  of  spirituality 

243 


244  SPASMODIC     PIETY 

and  consecration.  They  reflect,  they  repent,  they 
amend.  This  gracious  state  is  brought  about  in  var- 
ious ways — by  calamities  and  sorrows,  by  special 
mercies  and  blessings,  by  the  message  of  the  pulpit, 
and  often  simply  by  the  direct  action  of  the  Spirit 
upon  the  conscience  and  heart.  Much  that  is  mysteri- 
ous pertains  to  the  higher  moods  of  artists,  poets,  and 
musicians,  they  cannot  explain  the  sudden  illumina- 
tion and  impulse ;  and  the  spiritual  agitation  is  still 
more  mysterious.  But,  however  brought  about,  the 
sinner  is  aroused  and  more  or  less  sincerely  repents. 

Yet  all  these  exercises  of  mind,  these  stirrings  of 
the  heart,  these  good  resolutions  prove  vain.  Nothing 
permanent  comes  of  it.  The  villain  who  gives  a  tran- 
sient glimpse  of  nobility  is  again  a  villain.  The  re- 
formed miser,  tyrant,  drunkard,  or  sensualist  returns 
to  his  wallowing  in  the  mire.  The  worldling  once 
more  surrenders  himself  to  the  carnal  elements.  Thus 
multitudes  are  inconstant,  fitful,  wavering.  Their 
goodness  never  lasts:  ever  beginning  anew,  then  re- 
lapsing; ever  making  a  show  of  leaves,  good  feelings, 
aspirations,  resolves,  and  yet  bearing  no  fruit  unto 
everlasting  life.     Mark, 

I.  The  extreme  unsatisfactoriness  of  fitful  piety.  It 
is  rather  the  fashion  to  regard  such  piety  with  some 
degree  of  appreciation.  We  are  thought  to  be  not 
altogether  bad  when  good  days  and  deeds  are  placed 
to  our  credit.  These  flashes  of  a  higher  self  and  life 
are  supposed  to  signify  and  atone  for  much.  But  it 
is  a  perilous  mistake.  When  we  are  told  that  a  per- 
son has  "lucid  moments,"  we  know  that  he  is  in  a 
parlous  condition ;  if  he  is  not  in  an  asylum,  he  ought 


SPASMODIC     PIETY  245 

to  be.  And  it  is  much  the  same  with  those  who  have 
lucid  moments  of  the  spiritual  and  moral  life.  Their 
fits  of  goodness  show  their  capacity  to  be  noble,  their 
character  to  be  base.  It  has  been  urged  apologetically 
that  "We  are  all  good  sometimes" ;  but  the  inmates  of 
an  asylum  might  plead  that  "We  are  all  sensible  some- 
times." Neither  party  is  redeemed  by  such  interludes. 
Lucid  moments  only  accentuate  the  tragedy  of  mad- 
ness ;  and  spasms  of  goodness  in  a  bad  life  only  demon- 
strate and  intensify  the  tragedy  of  sin. 

No,  there  is  no  value  in  transient  goodness ;  it  lacks 
the  main  characteristic  of  the  essential  thing.  The 
charm  of  certain  sights  lies  in  their  fugitiveness.  The 
momentariness  of  the  bubble  is  the  secret  of  its  de- 
light ;  a  snowflake  is  lovely  in  its  exquisite  frailty ;  we 
sing  of  never-withering  flowers,  but  we  should  care 
little  for  them  if  they  bloomed  at  our  feet ;  and  as 
Goethe  says,  no  one  would  linger  over  a  rainbow  that 
stood  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  The  source  of  the  fas- 
cination of  these  things  lies  in  their  perishableness. 
Goodness,  however,  belongs  to  an  altogether  different 
sphere.  He  who  is  alone  good  knows  no  shadow  of 
turning,  and  the  more  stable  our  goodness  the  nearer 
it  approaches  the  absolute  standard.  To  play  fast  and 
loose  with  the  fear  and  service  of  God  is  repeatedly 
reprobated  by  the  Old  Testament.  In  the  New  Testa- 
ment our  Lord  teaches  the  obligation  of  permanence. 
"Abide  in  Me,  and  I  in  you."  It  is  not  enough  to 
enjoy  blest  moments ;  He  must  abide  in  us,  and  we 
in  Him,  for  all  time,  and  when  time  shall  be  no  longer. 
Revelation  puts  no  value  on  sudden  exuberance  of 
feeling,  on  surprised  confession,  on  temporary  panic 


246  SPASMODIC     PIETY 

or  ecstasy,  on  the  glow  and  gleam  that  die  away  into 
coldness  and  darkness.  "Persistence  is  the  sign  of 
reality."  Whatever  does  not  persist  may  be  fancy,  sen- 
timent, imagination,  or  hysteria ;  but  it  is  not  the  right- 
eousness of  God,  nor  does  it  avail  in  His  sight.  Such 
emotion  is  no  more  real  goodness  than  a  dewdrop  is 
a  diamond,  a  gourd  a  cedar,  or  a  meteor  a  star. 

These  brief  seasons  are  all  too  short  to  bring  to  any 
kind  of  maturity  the  faint  beginnings  of  higher  quali- 
ties and  graces.  A  distinguished  traveller  tells  of  a 
certain  region  of  Asia  where  the  night  temperature  is 
below  the  freezing-point  all  the  year  round,  with  the 
exception  of  a  couple  of  weeks  in  the  middle  of  sum- 
mer. What  may  be  expected  here  when  for  a  few 
days  the  glass  gets  above  freezing?  What  flowers  will 
bloom  ?  What  kind  of  harvest  will  be  reaped  ?  What 
vintage  will  be  gathered?  There  can  be  nothing  but 
pathetic,  abortive  beginnings,  dubious  signs  of  life  fall- 
ing back  into  death  and  darkness.  It  is  much  the  same 
with  fugitive  penitence.  "Herein  is  My  Father  glo- 
rified, that  ye  bear  much  fruit ;  so  shall  ye  be  My  disci- 
ples." And  how  can  He  accept  those  obscure  stirrings 
of  life  which  get  no  farther  than  microscopic  shoots, 
cryptogamic  vegetation,  and  low  water-weeds  ? 

The  spasmodic  saint  must  not  rank  himself  with  the 
true  saints  of  God.  The  difference  between  them  is 
simply  infinite.  It  is  a  curious  experience  when  at  sea 
you  behold  for  the  first  time  the  flying  fish.  They  sud- 
denly spring  out  of  the  depths,  skim  the  waves,  cut  the 
air,  and  you  would  not  be  surprised  to  see  them  take 
to  the  heavens.  In  a  few  moments,  however,  their 
power  of  flight  is  exhausted,  and  they  flop  again  into 


SPASMODIC     PIETY  247 

the  depths  whence  they  emerged.  It  is  wonderful  cer- 
tainly, yet  it  is  a  mild  form  of  flying.  How  different 
with  the  genuine  bird  of  the  air — the  lark  singing  at 
heaven's  gate,  the  eagle  soaring  towards  the  sun,  the 
swallow  winging  its  flight  half  across  the  world !  Fly- 
ing fish  and  mounting  bird  belong  to  different  worlds, 
although  they  may  resemble  each  other  for  a  moment. 
So  the  distinction  is  practically  infinite  between  the 
ineffectual  struggles  of  the  spasmodic  penitent  and  the 
consecrated  life  that  perseveres  through  sunshine  and 
storm,  through  months  and  years,  soaring  on  eagle's 
wings,  running  without  being  weary,  and  walking 
without  fainting. 

2.  Hoiv  may  zve  coiwert  these  awakenings  of  the 
soul  into  abiding  goodness?  So  many  fail  in  the  spir- 
itual life  because  they  do  not  take  measures  to  per- 
petuate the  higher  life  that  these  precious  visitations 
of  grace  initiate.  A  French  writer  observes,  "Poetry  is 
not  a  permanent  state  of  the  soul";  and  it  is  certain 
that  no  high,  intense  mood  may  long  abide.  The  artist 
does  not  continue  in  an  inspired  condition,  but  he  un- 
derstands how  to  take  advantage  of  it,  and  by  care 
and  diligence  to  perpetuate  whatever  he  has  happily 
gained.  The  astronomer  finds  only  a  few  days  in  a 
year  when  the  vision  of  the  heavens  is  perfect,  but  he 
acts  so  promptly  and  practically  in  these  privileged 
hours  that  they  enrich  the  rest  of  his  lifetime.  The 
great  thing  is  to  take  care  that  the  times  of  our  spiritual 
visitation  do  not  exhaust  themselves  in  cries,  sobs, 
tears,  and  fruitless  emotion,  but  that  they  are  seized, 
economized,  and  perpetuated.  We  must  follow  on  to 
know  the  Lord.    By  wise  and  practical  effort  we  must 


2  i8  SPASMODIC     PIETY 

fix  the  gracious  inspiration.  Having  chosen  our  part 
we  must  abide  by  it,  and  pursue  it.  By  good  books, 
habits  of  prayer,  devout  companionship,  and  immediate 
consecration  to  some  form  of  social  service  we  must 
seek  to  complete  our  conversion. 


i: 


THE  CHOIR  INVISIBLE  AND 
THEIR  MUSIC 

Likewise,  I  say  unto  you,  there  is  joy  in  the  presence  of 
the   angels   of   God    over   one   sinner   that   repenteth. — Luke 

XV.  10. 

IN  the  higher  universe  the  true  value  of  things  is 
known,  and  this  peep  into  glory  is  most  in- 
structive. 
We  are  taught  the  significance  of  the  individual, 
"Over  one  sinner,"  It  is  often  seen  how  Christ  sets 
at  nought  the  tyranny  of  numbers,  and  concentrates 
attention  on  the  unit.  In  His  reference  to  the  lilies 
of  the  field  this  tendency  is  manifest.  He  does  not  say 
that  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  gor- 
geous landscape  or  blooming  meadow,  but  he  "was  not 
arrayed  like  one  of  these,"  Again,  in  enforcing  unsel- 
fishness. "Whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of 
these  little  ones  a  cup  of  cold  water  only  .  .  shall 
in  no  wise  lose  his  reward,"  And  in  the  text  the  angels 
rejoice  over  "one  sinner,"  We  should  not  have  been 
surprised  had  the  joy  been  over  a  penitent  orb ;  but  it 
is  not  that.  A  day  of  Pentecost,  with  its  thousands  of 
penitents,  might  seem  to  justify  a  grand  outburst  of 
song;  but  it  is  not  that.    Millennial  times  might  bring 

249 


250  CHOIR  INVISIBLE  AND  THEIR  MUSIC 

down  a  cloud  of  angels  filling  the  sky  with  hallelujahs ; 
but  it  is  not  this.  "Over  one  sinner."  Christ  discov- 
ered humanity ;  there  was  no  sense  of  the  solidarity 
of  the  race  before  He  came:  yet  He  also  discovered 
the  individual,  for  there  was  no  recognition  of  the  value 
of  the  single  soul  before  He  came.  It  is  remarkable 
how  much  Christ  individualized — how  frequently  the 
word  "one"  was  upon  His  lip.  Let  us  not  permit  our- 
selves to  be  lost  in  a  crowd;  nor  must  we  suffer  in 
our  self-respect  because  of  multitudes  and  magnitudes. 

One  of  the  very  foremost  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ 
declares  the  supreme  worth  of  personality.  In  these 
days  we  are  ever  being  dazed  by  arithmetic ;  we  are 
bluntly  assured  that  worlds  and  histories  turn  on  vast 
hinges,  whilst  individual  lives  are  the  dust  of  the  bal- 
ances; and  society,  collectivism,  and  humanity  are 
most  familiar  terms  of  contemporary  politics  and  phil- 
osophy, until  the  individual  is  well-nigh  forgotten. 
Continents  and  mountains  are  always  in  evidence, 
whilst  the  atom  remains  invisible;  and  the  individual 
is  being  similarly  ignored  in  the  social  mass.  Christ 
writes  across  the  sky  in  blazing  letters,  "One."  The 
lowliest  must  not  forget  his  mysterious  greatness  nor 
the  fact  that  in  the  highest  world  his  fortune  is  followed 
with  impassioned  interest.    He  knew,  who  told  us  this. 

A  further  lesson  of  the  text  is  that  the  importance 
of  the  individual  lies  in  his  moral  life.  "One  sinner." 
In  that  world  where  the  true  value  of  things  is  known 
we  are  recognized  on  our  moral  and  spiritual  side. 
Social  status,  mental  culture,  or  financial  ability  is 
disregarded  by  the  angels;  they  concern  themselves 
only  with  our  relation  to  the  holy  God.    The  heavenly 


CHOIR  INVISIBLE  AND  THEIR  MUSIC  251 

universe  is  interested  exclusively  in  the  history  of 
souls.  How  different  with  us !  We  survey  life  from 
an  altogether  different  standpoint;  and  gold,  culture, 
greatness,  or  pleasure  is  the  consuming  theme  of  our 
contemplation.  If  the  celestial  world  is  absorbed  in 
the  history  of  the  soul,  ought  we  not  to  concern  our- 
selves far  more  than  we  usually  do  with  the  inner  life  ? 
We  are  most  attentive  to  worldly  fortune ;  success  or 
failure  in  social  and  material  life  is  never  long  out 
of  our  thoughts,  and  we  rarely  pause  to  ask  ourselves 
how  we  stand  with  God.  The  state  of  the  soul,  the 
movements  of  the  spiritual  life,  and  the  rise  or  fall 
of  character  are  recognized  by  us  only  in  glimpses, 
yet  they  fill  the  eye  of  God  and  angels.  Earth  scans 
the  surface  of  history ;  Heaven  studies  the  soul  of 
history,  which  is  the  history  of  the  soul. 

The  final  lesson  we  note  is  that  the  most  important 
event  in  the  individual  life  is  the  restoration  of  the 
lapsed  soul  to  God.  "One  sinner  that  repenteth."  He 
who  came  into  the  world  to  revalue  all  our  values 
declares  that  the  return  of  the  prodigal  son  to  his  hea- 
venly Father  is  the  most  momentous  of  all  acts.  Re- 
pentance means  the  consciousness  of  sin.  Sin  in  its 
essence  is  ungodliness,  the  leaving  of  the  Father  for  a 
far  country.  The  creature  divorced  from  the  Creator, 
the  gift  severed  from  the  Giver,  here  is  the  inmost 
essence  of  sin.  He  who  truly  repents  knows  that  he 
has  shut  out  God,  substituted  his  own  will  for  God's 
will,  used  God's  gifts  without  God's  blessing.  "I  will 
arise,  and  go  unto  my  father,"  is  of  the  very  essence 
of  repentance.  Repentance  means  also  a  horror  of 
sin.     We  awake  to  its  ugliness,  bitterness,  shameful- 


252  CHOIR  INVISIBLE  AND  THEIR  MUSIC 

ness,  and  peril.  It  is  astonishing  how  Hghtly  the 
natural  man  thinks  of  sin!  He  is  far  more  troubled 
by  a  physical  infirmity  than  by  a  moral  fault.  He  will 
rather  suffer  a  bad  conscience  than  a  bad  tooth;  he 
will  tolerate  a  vile  disposition,  and  resent  a  squint ;  he 
will  prefer  a  cloven  foot  before  a  club  foot.  And  he 
is  far  more  distressed  by  an  error  in  language  or 
manners  than  by  a  breach  of  the  higher  law.  A  misfit 
in  dress  offends  him  more  than  his  base  act;  a  slip 
in  grammar  humiliates  him  more  than  a  slip  into  sen- 
sual mire;  a  trifling  breach  in  etiquette  causes  him  to 
blush  as  he  never  does  for  his  wickedness.  In  repent- 
ance all  this  is  changed.  He  sees  the  unreasonable- 
ness, hatefulness,  and  wretchedness  of  his  evil  pas- 
sions and  ways,  loathes  them,  and  shrinks  from  them 
with  shame  and  distress.  Finally,  repentance  means 
the  renunciation  of  the  life  of  disobedience,  and  a 
trustful  return  to  the  heavenly  Father.  "They  have 
turned  to  Me  the  back,  and  not  the  face"  (Jer.  xxxii. 
33).  In  repentance  we  turn  clean  round,  and  look 
with  desire  upon  God  and  His  holy  will.  In  the 
strength  of  Christ's  grace,  on  the  grounds  of  His 
merit,  we  return  to  our  Father's  love,  house,  and 
service. 

How  vividly  this  narrative  brings  out  the  blessed- 
ness of  repentance!  God  rejoices.  "In  the  presence 
of  the  angels."  And  we  can  understand  His  joy. 
The  human  heart  is  our  best  mirror  of  God ;  the 
brother's  heart,  the  sister's,  the  lover's,  the  friend's, 
the  father's  and  mother's  heart.  As  in  water  face 
answereth  face,  so  the  heart  of  God  is  reflected  in  the 
heart  of  man ;  only  turbid  elements  make  the  glorious 


CHOIR  INVISIBLE  AND  THEIR  MUSIC  253 

image  dim.  How,  then,  do  we  rejoice,  when  the  lost 
returns !  It  is  most  human  that  we  should  rejoice,  and 
what  is  most  truly  human  is  most  nearly  divine. 
Strange  and  blessed  thought !  God  rejoices  in  our 
repentance  unto  life.  The  angels  also  rejoice.  When 
the  tide  rises  in  the  ocean,  it  rises  in  a  thousand  creeks 
and  rivers ;  and  when  the  sunny  sea  of  God's  blessed- 
ness swells,  it  streams  through  the  celestial  universe, 
and  fresh  music  everywhere  breaks  out  like  the  sound 
of  many  waters.  But  if  repentance  is  an  event  to  make 
heaven  glad,  is  it  not  one  to  make  us  glad  also?  It 
is,  indeed,  the  beginning  of  true  peace  and  felicity. 
"Sing,  O  ye  heavens;  for  the  Lord  hath  done  it; 
shout,  ye  lower  parts  of  the  earth;  break  forth  into 
singing,  ye  mountains,  O  forest,  and  every  tree 
therein ;  for  the  Lord  hath  redeemed  Jacob,  and  glo- 
rified Himself  in  Israel." 

What  a  powerful  encouragement  to  repentance  this 
passage  affords !  The  penitent  finds  it  a  severe  task 
to  overcome  the  difficulties  which  lie  in  his  path.  The 
hostile  elder  brother  stands  for  many  disheartening 
influences.  But  "the  morning  stars"  are  elder  brothers 
who  stand  by  the  penitent.  "The  angels  laid  hold 
upon  his  hand."  (Gen.  xix.  i6.)  Beautiful  scene! 
So  now,  repentant  sinner !  if  Sodom  mocks,  there  is 
with  you  a  vast  world  of  divine,  angelic,  and  saintly 
sympathy.  More  are  with  you  than  can  possibly  be 
against  you. 


LI 
THE  MERCY  OF  MYSTERY 

It  is  the  glory  of  God  to  conceal  a  thing. — Prov.  xxv.  2. 

THE  meaning  of  things  and  events  is  to  us 
largely  incomprehensible ;  we  cannot  order  our 
speech  aright  because  of  the  darkness.  This 
fact  often  frets  us,  we  feel  that  an  injustice  is  being 
done  us,  we  complain  of  the  weary  weight  of  an  unin- 
telligible world.  But  the  text  sets  the  matter  in  an- 
other light.  "It  is  the  glory  of  God,"  the  wisdom  and 
love  of  God,  "to  conceal  a  thing."  The  motive  of 
mystery  is  generous,  it  contemplates  our  safety  and 
advantage. 

So  far  as  the  universe  itself  is  concerned  this  is 
true.  What  we  know  of  the  world  is  as  nothing 
compared  with  what  we  do  not  know.  The  secret 
always  escapes  us — the  secret  of  matter,  of  life,  of 
the  origin  and  ending  of  things.  We  ought  not  to 
be  surprised  that  this  is  so.  To  a  certain  extent  this 
mystery  arises  out  of  the  greatness  of  God,  and  the 
necessary  inscrutableness  of  His  infinite  working.  A 
child  cannot  understand  the  higher  mathematics,  a 
peasant  follow  a  philosophical  discussion,  a  savage 
comprehend  the  Atlantic  telegraph ;  and  the  great- 
est human  mind  cannot  grasp  the  universe.    That  the 

254 


THE    MERCY    OF    MYSTERY    255 

whole  scheme  of  things  can  ever  be  known  by  us 
is  absurd,  for  the  creature  can  never  overtake  the  Cre- 
ator, the  finite  comprehend  the  Infinite.  Yet  it  is  true 
that  we  might  know  much  more  of  the  universe 
than  we  do.  Why,  then,  does  not  God  flash  upon  us 
the  secrets  for  which  our  scientists  and  philosophers 
search  with  aching  brain?  Why  does  He  not  light 
up  the  material  universe,  and  make  clear  its  secret 
workings?  "It  is  the  glory  of  God  to  conceal  a  thing." 
Illumination  is  regulated  by  practical  good,  and  must 
not  outstrip  moral  progress.  Hidden  things  are  re- 
vealed as  fast  as  the  knowledge  of  them  can  advantage 
our  whole  being.  The  desire  to  know  may  be  nothing 
more  than  an  impertinent  curiosity,  a  proud  and 
delirious  ambition,  and  Heaven  concedes  nothing  to 
this  inordinate  speculative  temper.  To  each  succeed- 
ing age  secrets  are  disclosed,  according  to  its  needs 
and  fitness.  We  might  easily  get  more  light  than 
would  be  a  blessing.  Pilots  object  to  the  electric  light 
in  lighthouses  because"  it  perplexes  and  blinds  them; 
a  gentler,  softer  light  is  better  for  practical  purposes. 
So  God  does  not  grant  a  succession  of  brilliant  lights 
for  ends  of  pride,  vanity,  or  amusement.  He  slowly 
explains  His  works  that  we  may  be  kept  humble  and 
reverent  by  their  mysterious  immensity  and  magnifi- 
cence, and  that  every  addition  to  our  knowledge  may 
be  a  practical  good — a  mental,  material,  moral,  and 
spiritual  blessing. 

Another  illustration  is  found  in  the  unfolding  of  the 
divine  government.  Great  inventions  and  discoveries 
familiar  to  us  were  denied  the  old  civilizations.  Why 
did  God  so  long  jealously  guard  these  secrets?     Not 


256    THE    MERCY    OF    MYSTERY 

because  He  was  arbitrary  or  ungenerous,  but  in  loving 
care  for  His  creatures.  The  welfare  of  man  regulates 
progressive  illumination.  If  in  the  morning  of  time 
those  who  possessed  a  crude  knowledge  of  the  arts  and 
sciences,  with  colossal  pride  built  Babel,  what  frightful 
outrages  would  they  have  perpetrated  possessed  of 
modern  wealth  and  knowledge!  The  tyranny  and 
slavery  of  Egypt  and  Assyria  were  terrible  enough 
with  horses  and  chariots;  what  would  they  have  been 
with  steam  and  electricity!  The  Jews  were  in  con- 
stant peril  because  the  navy  of  Solomon  every  three 
years  brought  gold,  ivory,  and  peacocks;  what  would 
have  been  their  state  had  the  fleets  of  the  world 
anchored  in  their  ports,  as  they  do  in  ours!  The 
Romans  were  destructive  enough  with  bows  and 
arrows,  slings  and  stones,  swords  and  spears ;  think 
what  they  would  have  been  with  gunpowder  and  dyna- 
mite !  The  Greeks  were  voluptuous  enough  with  the 
modest  resources  of  their  age ;  imagine  their  carnivals 
of  ruinous  pleasure  had  they  commanded  the  diamond- 
mines  of  Kimberley,  the  gold-fields  of  Johannesburg, 
the  luxuries  of  all  climates !  God  denied  the  treasures 
which  would  have  rendered  progress  impossible ;  He 
withheld  them  until  the  race  had  attained  those  higher 
qualities  without  which  excessive  material  power  is  a 
curse.  The  material  progress  of  the  world  is  condi- 
tioned by  its  moral  fitness.  We  do  not  allow  a  child 
to  play  with  matches,  poisons,  razors,  and  live  wires; 
and  God  did  not  trust  the  childhood  of  the  race  with 
the  awful  resources  of  knowledge,  wealth,  and  power 
involved  in  modern  civilization.  "Beloved,  I  wish 
above  all  things  that  thou  mayest  be  in  health  and  pros- 


THE    MERCY    OF    MYSTERY    257 

per,  even  as  thy  soul  prospereth."  This  is  the  law 
of  the  world's  enrichment  and  illumination,  and  it  is 
a  law  of  love. 

Another  illustration  of  our  theme  is  found  in  the 
impartation  of  spiritual  knowledge.  The  Bible  we 
know  as  revelation,  yet  it  has  immensely  widened  the 
range  of  mystery.  How  much  there  is  in  it  that  we 
do  not  understand !  and  we  are  often  impatient  with 
the  mystery  of  godliness.  "It  is  the  glory  of  God  to 
conceal  a  thing."  Christ  came  only  "in  the  fullness  of 
time" ;  before  then  the  Advent  would  have  been  worse 
than  useless.  Even  when  He  came  He  observed  a 
striking  reticence  in  addressing  the  multitude.  "And 
with  many  such  parables  spake  He  the  word  unto  them, 
as  they  were  able  to  hear  it:  and  without  a  parable 
spake  He  not  unto  them ;  but  privately  to  His  own 
disciples.  He  expounded  all  things."  Nay,  even  to 
the  disciples  He  could  not  tell  all.  "I  have  yet  many 
things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now. 
Howbeit  when  He,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  He 
shall  guide  you  into  all  the  truth."  The  physician  can- 
not always  tell  his  patient  all  the  truth  concerning  his 
position — it  would  retard  the  sick  man's  recovery,  per- 
haps cost  him  his  life ;  so  he  is  told  only  as  he  is  able 
to  bear  it,  only  as  it  will  be  good  for  him  to  know. 
So  Heaven  deals  with  us  in  loving  discretion.  Little 
do  we  know  what  we  ask  when  we  ask  for  the  fullness 
of  the  light !  The  holiness  of  God,  the  wrath  of  God, 
the  love  of  God !  To  see  all  our  sin,  all  our  peril ! 
To  see  the  universe  of  glory,  to  penetrate  the  secret 
of  the  prison-house !  Were  it  flashed  upon  us,  it  would 
blind,  paralyze,  destroy.     We  are  saved  by  the  gen- 


258   THE    MERCY    OF    MYSTERY 

tleness  which  filters  out  the  light  a  ray  at  a  time. 
Infinite  mercy  grants  no  more. 

A  veil  'twixt  us  and  Thee,  dread  Lord, 

A  veil  'twixt  us  and  Thee ; 
Lest  we  should  hear  too  clear,  too  clear. 

And  unto  madness  see ! 

We  understand  high  and  holy  truths  only  as  we 
treat  them  seriously  and  apply  them  practically.  God 
explains  them  to  us  through  experience.  Just  as  the 
scientist  learns  the  truths  of  nature  through  experi- 
ment, so  we  learn  the  highest  truths  through  experi- 
ence. We  know  the  heavenly  doctrine  through  its 
action  on  our  conscience,  heart,  and  will.  God  illu- 
minates us  through  cha/t'acter.  Would  you  know 
imore?  Get  higher  qualities  and  graces.  We  are 
illuminated  through  obedience.  Revelation  is  granted 
through  duty.  We  learn  divinest  secrets  in  prayer.  A 
very  little  fellow,  whose  mother  failed  to  explain  his 
difficulties,  answered,  "Mother,  you  have  not  told  me 
much ;  I  wish  that  I  could  have  five  minutes  with  God." 
Our  five  minutes  with  God  go  a  long  way.  So  light 
is  not  given  to  theorists,  for  knowledge  that  puffeth 
up  is  no  gain;  light  steals  upon  us  through  personal 
sanctification,  practical  obedience,  hallowed  devotion, 
and  every  truth  thus  apprehended  is  the  light  of  life, 
filling  us  with  strength,  purity,  and  joy. 


LII 


THE   HOUR,  AND  THE  DIVINE 
DELIVERER 

But  when  the  fullness  of  the  time  came,  God  sent  forth  His 
Soft,  born  of  a  woman,  born  under  the  law,  that  He  might  re- 
deem them  which  were  under  the  law,  that  we  might  receive 
the  adoption  of  sons. — Gal.  iv.  4,  5. 

THE  period  of  Christ's  manifestation.  It  has 
often  been  pointed  out  that  when  certain  char- 
acters are  wanted  they  inevitably  appear. 
When  the  hour  strikes  the  man  arrives,  the  man  ex- 
actly suited  to  the  hour.  "The  tools  of  history  are 
never  inappropriate.  A  Dante  is  not  produced  when 
history  requires  a  Luther.  Philosophical  and  contem- 
plative natures  are  not  produced  when  history  requires 
practical  and  heroic  natures.  Providence  makes  no 
mistake,  there  is  always  harmony  between  the  special 
gifts  of  individuals  and  the  requirements  of  history." 
This  harmony  was  never  more  strikingly  illustrated 
than  in  the  age  of  the  Advent.  Christ  is  the  centre 
of  the  history  of  the  world,  and  there  could  be  no 
error  in  the  date  of  His  appearance.  The  race  had 
proved  its  inability  to  restore  itself  to  lost  truth,  purity, 
and  happiness.  Through  the  discipline  of  the  Mosaic 
law,  and  of  natural  law,  Jew  and  Gentile  were  pre- 

259 


260  THE  HOUR,  AND  THE  DELIVERER 

pared  for  a  spiritual,  redeeming  religion.  And  the 
state  of  the  political  world  corresponded  with  the 
exigencies  of  a  universal  faith.  "When  the  fullness 
of  the  time  came,  God  sent  forth  His  Son."  Nothing 
in  nature  is  more  wonderful  than  the  way  in  which 
complementary  things  and  creatures  arrive  together; 
and  in  history  the  same  phenomenon  is  repeated. 
"God's  trains  never  keep  one  another  waiting." 
Events  synchronize  and  harmonize.  The  Incarnation 
is  the  crowning  example  of  the  dramatic  unities  of 
history. 

The  nature  of  this  manifestation.  "God  sent  forth 
His  Son."  "Born  of  a  woman."  Christ  was  the  reve- 
lation of  God  in  the  sphere  of  time  and  sense.  The 
splendour  of  Jehovah  was  veiled  by  the  seamless  robe ; 
under  the  mechanism  of  frail  flesh  throbbed  the  energy 
which  built  the  world;  the  gentle  tones  of  the  voice 
unheard  in  the  streets  disguised  the  accents  of  the 
thunder;  and  beneath  the  weakness  which  slept, 
fainted,  and  expired  was  hidden  the  might  of  Omnipo- 
tence. That  Christ  was  God;  that  He  became  man, 
possessing  a  true  human  body  and  a  true  human  soul, 
is  the  distinct  teaching  of  the  evangelic  narrative.  God 
manifests  Himself  in  nature,  history,  and  conscience; 
but  here  is  a  supreme,  personal,  and  unique  revelation 
of  Himself — the  divine  clothing  Himself  with  the 
human  that  He  might  redeem  the  human. 

There  is  nothing  in  this  manifestation  contrary  to 
the  divine  greatness.  The  grandeur  of  God  is  not 
founded  on  those  visible  splendours  with  which  we  sur- 
round Him.  Without  a  throne  of  awful  brightness, 
without  crowns  either  on  His  head  or  at  His  feet. 


THE  HOUR,  AND  THE  DELIVERER  '2GI 

without  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  angels,  with- 
out the  dust  of  gold  and  blaze  of  jewels,  He  is  still 
the  only  wise  God,  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords. 
Divested  of  all  those  glories  which  appeal  to  our  imag- 
ination, His  real  greatness  is  untouched.  His  great- 
ness is  that  of  supreme  wisdom,  righteousness,  and 
love;  and  with  these  perfections  He  is  equally  great, 
whether  invested  by  the  splendours  of  the  heavens, 
or  manifested  in  the  simplicity  of  "the  man  Christ 
Jesus." 

There  is  nothing  contrary  to  the  divine  honour.  If 
there  is  nothing  derogatory  to  the  honour  of  God  in 
His  dwelling  within  the  physical  universe,  and  in  mani- 
festing Himself  through  suns  and  stars,  hills  and  seas, 
forests  and  flowers,  there  cannot  be  anything  contrary 
to  the  divine  glory  in  assuming  that  He  should  take 
up  His  special  abode  in  a  human  body,  and  reveal  Him- 
self through  its  marvellous  organs.  There  seems,  in- 
deed, no  shrine  so  fitting  for  the  divine  indwelling  and 
manifestation  as  a  pure  human  body.  "The  human 
face  divine"  can  express  more  than  a  sun,  the  rounded 
forehead  speak  more  than  arched  skies,  the  eyes  shine 
out  deeper  things  than  stars,  the  lip  reveals  secrets 
which  winds  and  waves  can  never  utter,  and  the  actions 
of  human  life  are  rich  in  suggestion  hidden  from  the 
foundations  of  the  world.  The  human  body  is  less 
bright  than  the  heavens,  less  large  than  the  earth,  but 
to  utter  things  deep  and  high  a  finer  organ  than  either. 

There  is  nothing  contrary  to  the  divine  purity.  Im- 
purity is  not  an  idea  inseparable  from  human  nature, 
and  the  New  Testament  takes  care  that  the  Incarna- 
tion is  freed  from  all  suspicion  of  that  sinfulness  by 


262  THE  HOUR,  AND  THE  DELIVERER 

which  the  flesh  has  been  defiled.  It  is  reasonable  to 
think  that  God  would  come  near  to  us  in  a  way  that 
we  could  know  Him,  take  hold  of  Him,  love  and  serve 
Him.     And  He  has  thus  manifested  Himself  (i  John 

i-  1-3). 
The  design  of  this  manifestation.    "That  He  might 

redeem  them  which  were  under  the  law,  that  we  might 
receive  the  adoption  of  sons."  In  a  word,  the  purpose 
of  the  Incarnation  was  to  convert  the  slaves  of  sin  into 
the  sons  of  God  (Rom.  viii.  3,  4).  Our  Lord  lived  and 
died  that  He  might  show  us  the  glory  of  righteous- 
ness ;  that  He  might  open  the  way  for  our  forgiveness 
and  reconciliation  with  Heaven;  and  that  He  might 
endue  us  with  the  Spirit  of  purity  and  might,  enabling 
us  to  attain  to  holiness  of  heart  and  life.  In  Him  our 
.emancipation  from  sin  is  most  complete.  We  die  to 
the  old  life  of  actual  sin  and  formal  righteousness ;  we 
live  in  the  power  of  faith,  purity,  and  love.  We  once 
heard  an  Oriental  relate  that  when  he  was  converted 
to  Christianity  his  old  angry  fellow  religionists  treated 
him  as  a  dead  man,  building  his  tomb,  and  following 
a  bier  to  the  graveyard.  It  was  the  glorious  truth 
in  a  parable.  He  who  is  truly  converted  by  the  grace 
of  Christ  is  dead  to  sin,  and  all  the  vices  follow  his 
bier.  Bereaved  passion  is  there,  with  wild  cries  and 
gnashing  of  teeth  ;  loathsome  lust  sorrows  as  one  with- 
out hope ;  mammon  mourns  a  slave  who  has  slipped  his 
shining  fetters  ;  pride  stalks  along  in  grief  because  eyes 
so  long  dazzled  with  power  and  purple  have  strangely 
forgotten  their  sight ;  falsehood  for  once  lays  aside 
his  mask  and  is  inconsolable,  bereaved  of  a  familiar 
friend;   selfishness  bemoans  a   lost  son;   and   all   the 


THE  HOUR,  AND  THE  DELIVERER  263 

daughters  of  guilty  pleasure  despairingly  cast  into  the 
dust  the  poison-flowers  the  dead  will  no  longer  wear. 
The  devil  follows  as  the  chief  mourner;  the  rabble  of 
the  vices  weep  and  blaspheme;  and  the  epitaph  reads, 
"How  shall  we  who  are  dead  to  sin  live  any  longer 
therein?"  But  out  of  this  grave  rises  a  new  man  in 
the  power  of  Christ's  resurrection.  Walking  in  new- 
ness of  life  he  is  conscious  of  freedom,  strength,  and 
joyfulness  which  are  truly  heavenly.  The  miserable 
slave  groaning  under  bondage  has  become  a  son  of 
God,  sitting  in  heavenly  places  and  enjoying  the  liberty 
of  the  glory. 


LIII 

THE  IMPLIED  PROMISE  OF 
NATURE  AND  LIFE 

And  Manoah  said  unto  his  wife,  We  shall  surely  die,  he- 
cause  we  have  seen  God.  But  his  wife  said  unto  him.  If  the 
'Lord  were  pleased  to  kill  us,  He  ivoiild  not  have  received  a 
burnt  offering  and  a  meal  offering  at  our  hand,  neither  would 
He  have  showed  us  all  these  things,  nor  would  at  this  time 
have  told  such  things  as  these. — Judges  xiii.  22,  23. 

MANOAH  was  greatly  troubled  by  the  won- 
derful appearances  recorded  in  the  context : 
"We  shall  surely  die,  because  we  have  seen 
God."  But  his  wife  took  a  more  reasonable  and  hope- 
ful view  of  the  situation.  She  argues  from  the  analogy 
of  things  that  God  means  to  deal  graciously  with  them. 
She  reasons  from  the  known  to  the  unknown,  from  the 
present  to  the  future,  from  the  segment  to  the  circle. 
In  days  of  mystery,  perplexity,  and  ominousness  we 
cannot  do  better  than  follow  out  this  special  line  of 
reasoning;  we  cannot  do  better  than  resort  to  this 
argument  as  we  enter  upon  a  new,  unknown  year.  In- 
stead of  yielding  to  panic  and  despair,  let  us  deal  with 
threatening  problems  in  the  light  of  reflection,  experi- 
ence, and  history ;  let  us  strengthen  ourselves  by  a  ref- 
erence to  the  secret  analogy  of  things. 

264 


PROMISE  OF  NATURE  AND  LIFE     265 

"If  the  Lord  were  pleased  to  kill  us,  would  He 
have  showed  us  all  these  things?" 

Look  at  the  question  in  relation  to  this  present  life 
and  its  anxieties.  How  we  torment  ourselves  about 
our  earthly  future !  Life  would  be  worth  living  were 
it  not  for  to-morrow ;  to-morrow  poisons  all  the  days 
of  the  calendar.  But  if  the  Lord  were  pleased  to 
degrade  and  destroy  us,  would  He  have  shown  us  all 
these  things  of  nature's  wealth  and  glory?  We  can- 
not survey  the  teeming  treasures  of  earth  and  sky 
without  feeling  that  God  means  to  deal  generously 
with  us.  Ruskin  declared  that  there  was  beauty 
enough  in  a  lily  to  decorate  a  cathedral ;  and  our  Lord 
found  truth  and  grace  enough  in  a  lily  to  furnish  a 
creed  for  that  cathedral — a  creed  of  absolute  trust  in 
our  heavenly  Father.  Every  sunbeam,  every  shower, 
every  sheaf  rebukes  our  scepticism  and  despair.  If 
the  design  of  God  were  sinister,  if  He  were  pleased  to 
forsake  us,  to  abandon  us  to  hunger  and  nakedness,  to 
torment  and  destroy  us,  would  He  have  thus  filled  our 
world  with  riches  and  splendour?  In  revelation  we 
have  exceeding  great  promises  in  black  and  white, 
whilst  in  nature  are  millions  more  promises  in  gold 
and  purple,  and  God  means  to  keep  them  all.  In  our 
personal  history,  too,  how  wondrously  has  He  blessed 
us !  When  tempted  to  dark  fears,  think  of  what  God 
is  likely  to  do  by  the  gracious  things  He  has  already 
shown  you  in  nature  and  life.  Every  gift  and  deliv- 
erance of  the  past  are  also  a  prophecy  and  promise. 
In  granting  us  these  things  He  contracts  engagements 
to  us ;  His  past  favours  lay  Him  under  a  necessity 
of  conferring  other  favours;  He  must  be  consistent 


^66     PROMISE  OF  NATURE  AND  LIFE 

with  Himself,  and  finish  what  He  has  begun.     He 
must  honour  His  own  government. 

As  to  the  future  beyond  this  world  and  life,  the 
argument  of  the  text  holds.  If  God  meant  to  annihi- 
late us,  would  He  have  dealt  with  us  after  the  won- 
derful fashion  with  which  we  are  so  familiar?  What 
immense  ages  He  took  to  prepare  this  earth  for  our 
habitation !  How  infinitely  vast  and  magnificent  is 
the  universe  which  inspheres  us!  How  inexhaustible 
are  the  treasures  which  mainly  design  our  welfare!  If 
God  proposed  to  annihilate  us,  would  He  have  shown 
us  all  these  things  and  lavished  upon  us  such  endless 
gifts?  Is  it  like  Him  to  do  so?  Is  it  like  His  wis- 
dom? Scientists  tell  us  of  a  law  of  nature  that  they 
describe  as  the  law  of  parsimony;  that  is,  nature  does 
not  permit  any  waste  of  material,  time,  or  energy,  the 
means  to  any  given  end  being  always  regulated  by 
stern  economy.  But  what  becomes  of  this  law  of  par- 
simony if  after  Heaven  has  lavished  so  much  upon  us 
it  extinguishes  us?  Annihilation  does  not  correspond 
with  the  wisdom  of  God  as  reflected  in  nature.  Is  it 
like  His  goodness  to  destroy  us?  Life  is  positively 
cruel  if  nothing  more  than  a  tantalizing  flash.  When 
the  Aztecs  managed  to  capture  several  of  the  Spanish 
invaders,  the  captives  were  surprised  to  find  that  they 
were  treated  most  hospitably;  abundant  provision  was 
forthcoming,  and  they  were  regaled  with  every  deli- 
cacy ;  but  when  they  discovered  that  they  were  being 
fattened  for  sacrifice,  they  lost  their  appetite,  and  could 
no  longer  touch  the  luxuries  spread  before  them.  All 
the  pride  of  life  is  gone,  all  the  sweetness  and  glory 
and  joy  of  things  vanish  the  moment  we  really  believe 


PROMISE  OF  NATURE  AND  LIFE     267 

that  we  are  reserved  for  the  carnival  of  the  worms. 
Fearing  annihilation,  we  are  all  our  lifetime  in  bondage 
to  the  fear  of  death,  and  can  know  nothing  of  the 
goodness  of  God  and  the  preciousness  of  living.  Is  it 
like  the  divine  faithfulness  to  destroy  us?  Does  nature 
implant  instincts  it  does  not  mean  to  gratify?  Does 
God  excite  hopes  in  us  that  He  does  not  intend  to 
fulfil  ?  "He  satisfieth  the  desire  of  every  living  thing." 
Will  He  then  mock  the  sublimest  desire  of  all — the 
instinct  of  immortality?  No;  He  does  not  mean  to 
destroy  us.  The  grandeur  of  the  world,  of  which  we 
are  the  chief  aim ;  the  splendour  of  our  faculties ;  the 
costliness  of  our  education;  the  munificence  of  our 
treatment, — these,  one  and  all,  are  prophecies  and 
pledges  of  great  things  prepared  for  faithful  souls.  We 
shall  not  die  like  dogs;  the  grass  of  the  churchyard 
shall  not  cover  our  great  being  and  hope. 

When  grim  Death  doth  take  me  by  the  throat 
Thou  wilt  have  pity  on  Thy  handiwork. 

"If  the  Lord  were  pleased  to  kill  us,  would  He  have 
told  such  things  as  these?"  God  has  not  only  shown 
us  many  wonderful  things ;  He  has  also  spoken  many 
wonderful  words.  The  great  silence  of  eternity  has 
been  broken,  and  we  have  listened  to  mighty  messages 
of  love  and  hope.  Seers  have  risen  in  all  nations  and 
ages,  teaching  doctrines  which  stretch  far  beyond  this 
life  and  its  interests.  In  Egypt,  Assyria,  Persia,  India, 
Giina,  Greece,  and  Rome  poets  and  philosophers 
taught  truths  which  transcend  the  trivial  and  mortal, 
and  assume  a  vaster  world  and  destiny  than  the  pres- 


268     PROMISE  OP  NATURE  AND  LIFE 

ent.  In  Judea  patriarchs,  lawgivers,  psalmists,  and 
prophets  enforced  high  and  holy  doctrines  which  are 
foolishness  if  this  life  is  all.  Last  of  all  in  this  circle 
God  spake  to  us  by  His  Son,  spake  words  pulsating 
with  eternity.  And  in  each  generation  since  then  great 
teachers  have  appeared  protesting  against  animalism 
and  materialism;  warning  their  contemporaries  that 
they  are  men  not  beasts,  and  eloquently  conjuring  them 
to  live  for  higher  ends  than  those  of  terrestrial  ad- 
vantage and  indulgence.  Our  own  age  has  been  illu- 
minated by  Carlyle,  Emerson,  Ruskin,  and  Tennyson, 
who  have  appealed  to  our  spirituality  and  aroused  us 
from  sordid  life  to  grasp  the  prizes  of  a  higher  world. 
We  may  not  always  be  able  to  distinguish  very  clearly 
between  a  sky-sign  and  a  star,  between  the  fancies 
of  men  trusting  to  the  heavens  and  the  authorized 
messages  of  eternity;  but,  whatever  falsities  and 
errors  may  cloud  and  confuse  our  vision,  God  has 
never  permitted  us  to  lose  sight  of  immortal  ideas, 
beliefs,  and  hopes — the  truths  of  eternity  have  been 
kept  before  us  high,  clear,  solemn,  like  the  Milky  Way 
in  the  midnight  heaven. 

Has  God  spoken  all  these  words  in  vain?  There 
is  more  truth  in  the  nature  of  things  than  this.  He 
would  not  have  addressed  us  thus  had  we  been  worms 
of  the  earth,  moths  of  a  moment.  He  would  not  have 
told  us  such  things  about  Himself,  about  ourselves, 
about  the  world  above  us,  about  the  ages  of  the  past, 
about  the  ages  to  come.  And  when  God  speaks  these 
great  words  we  grasp  His  meaning.  We  are  constantly 
being  told  of  the  sagacity  of  animals,  of  their  marvel- 
lous intelligence  and  cleverness,  the  intention  being  to 


PROMISE  OF  NATURE  AND  LIFE     269 

humble  us  by  the  thought  that  we  are  at  last  one  with 
the  beasts  which  perish.  But  we  may  easily  reassure 
ourselves.  Read  Plato  to  your  parrot,  try  the  Iliad  on 
the  gorilla,  declaim  Shakespeare  to  swine,  or  attempt 
to  disclose  the  visions  of  Isaiah  and  St.  John  in  the 
kennels,  and  you  elicit  no  response,  or  a  very  coarse 
one.  But  the  great  words  of  God  find  us,  thrill  us, 
alarm  us ;  they  inspire  us  with  fear,  wonder,  or  delight. 
There  is  a  measureless  gulf  between  us  and  the  brute. 
Surely  God  would  not  thus  have  spoken  to  us,  we 
should  not  thus  have  comprehended  Him,  had  we  been 
only  creatures  of  a  day.  Let  us  not  say,  "We  shall 
die  because  we  have  seen  God" ;  but  rather,  "We  shall 
live  because  we  have  seen  Him,  and  because  He  has 
spoken  to  us  the  words  of  eternal  life." 

If  the  Lord  were  pleased  to  kill  us,  He  would  not 
have  revealed  His  grace  as  He  has  done.  The  fear 
of  Manoah  arose  out  of  the  sense  of  sin ;  but,  in  so 
many  words,  his  wife  replies,  "True  we  are  sinners, 
yet  God  has  accepted  our  sacrifice,  and  shown  us 
tokens  for  good,  and  He  would  not  have  done  this 
had  He  meant  to  destroy  us."  Does  not  this  argument 
hold  with  us  ?  A  great  sacrifice  comes  between  us  and 
God — the  accepted  Sacrifice  of  Calvary ;  and  does  not 
this  avail  on  our  behalf?  "He  that  spared  not  His 
own  Son,  but  delivered  Him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall 
He  not  with  Him  also  freely  give  us  all  things."  By 
virtue  of  this  ofTering  God  has  assured  us  of  forgive- 
ness, vouchsafed  the  sense  of  His  favour,  kindled  in 
our  heart,  love,  peace,  and  hope;  and  is  it  likely  that 
He  will  abandon  us?  In  our  Christian  experience 
we   find   the   prophecy   and   promise   of  immortality. 


270     PROMISE  OF  NATURE  AND  LIFE 

"Being  confident  of  this  very  thing,  that  He  which 
began  a  good  work  in  you  will  perfect  it  until  the  day 
of  Jesus  Christ."  "Now  He  that  wrought  us  for  this 
very  thing  is  God,  who  gave  unto  us  the  earnest  of  the 
Spirit." 


Date  Due 

v.,       V>'                \ 

«ii  D    '38 

W  2^  '^  1 

n 

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